Lehighton Area School District finalized its 2017-18 budget Monday night by unanimously approving a spending plan that keeps taxes level for the third straight year.

The district will hold steady at 47.88 mills.Of the almost $41 million budget, $1.86 million will come from Lehighton's fund balance.The last time Lehighton voted to raise taxes was 2014-15, when a 1.17 percent increase was approved.Holding the line on taxes in three consecutive years puts Lehighton in rare company, according to information provided by Business Manager Brian Feick.Only two districts in the area matched that feat in the past six years.Jim Thorpe last raised taxes in 2012-13, and Weatherly went four years without raising taxes before a 9.89 percent jump in 2016-17."I'd like to thank our business office and our administrators for their hard work getting that tax number to zero," board member Dave Krause said.Property owners qualifying for the homestead and farmstead exclusion will receive $262 off their tax bill from state gaming money.Also on Monday, Lehighton's board approved a student lunch price and adult lunch price increase of $0.05 (elementary $2.30, middle school/high school $2.60, adult $3.60), and the a la carte prices remaining the same for the 2017-18 school year.According to Feick, Lehighton recently had its annual investors call with Moody's Investors Service."The report indicates Lehighton has a strong financial position in relation to its Aa3 credit rating," Feick said."The net cash balance as a percent of revenues, 29.5 percent, is slightly above the U.S. median," the report states. "In addition, the available fund balance as a percent of operating revenuesEarlier in Monday's meeting, Feick received a contract extension that will keep him in the district through the 2020-21 school year.Feick will be paid $113,700 in 2017-18, $117,600 in 2018-19, $121,100 in 2019-20, and $124,800 in 2020-21.