Lansford Borough Council will meet Dec. 9 to approve a 2021 budget with a 1-mill property tax increase.

The additional tax revenue will be used to help the local fire company and fund maintenance at borough parks.

Borough council voted Tuesday to advertise the spending plan. It includes $2 million in expenses, Borough Secretary Jill Seigendall said.

The proposed budget includes a tax increase of 1 mill, or about 2.8 percent. The 2021 municipal property tax rate for Lansford residents would be 36.84 mills.

The annual municipal property tax bill for a home worth $40,000 would be $736.80, an increase of $20.

The tax increase will generate about $26,000 in revenue for the borough.

Half of the new funding will go to American Fire Co. No. 1 of Lansford. The fire company canceled several of its core fundraisers in 2020, including its food truck festival and monthly breakfasts. They asked the borough to consider a donation.

“The amount they raised this year has drastically declined,” said council President Bruce Markovich. “Hopefully things improve.”

The rest of the tax revenue will go to pay for maintenance in the borough parks, which is currently paid out of the public works budget.

The majority of the millage, 30 mills goes toward general purposes; 1.5 mills are for fire purposes, 1.25 for parks and recreation, 2.81 for street lighting, 0.5 for pensions and retirement, and 1.28 for debt service.

The borough’s local services tax is $47.

In other business

Council voted:

• To close borough hall to public visitors effective Monday, citing the rising number of cases of COVID-19 in Carbon County. There are no cases among borough employees, Seigendall said.

• To resume committee meetings starting in January.

• To officially make LSA grant applications on behalf of the No. 9 mine, for $200,000; for the Lansford Historical Society, $60,000; and for the borough building boiler/air conditioner, at $15,000.