2017 is shaping up to be a big year for projects in Weatherly Borough, but it won’t directly burden local taxpayers.

The borough has over $2 million in hand to build a new municipal building and police station on a former industrial site. And there is lots of optimism that the Mrs. C.M. Schwab School could be acquired by the borough.Even with all of those projects going on, borough council passed a budget Monday night that keeps taxes at the same level as 2016.Council voted unanimously to approve the 2017 spending plan, which includes $1,417,652 in general fund expenses. The total expenses, including the borough’s road, electric, water and sewer funds, is $5,468,191.The tax rate will stay at 6.3 mills.The municipal building project has been in the works for several years. The 14-acre borough owned property was formerly home the Tung-Sol Electric Plant, and before that, the Reed & Lovatt Silk Mill.The project got a big boost last month when the borough received $1 million in state funds. The grant from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program was actually awarded in 2015, but it was held up by the lengthy Harrisburg budget impasse. The funds from the 2015 round of RCAP financing were finally disbursed last month.The project was also slated to use funds from a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded to Carbon County in 2013.Borough manager Harold Pudliner Jr. said he is optimistic that ground will be broken on the municipal complex in the first half of 2016.Meanwhile, the Schwab School Restoration Project awaits word on whether the bank which owns the historic building will accept their latest bid.