Slatington Borough Council approved a tax increase of 0.350 mills on Monday night. The increase was approved in a 6-1 vote, with council member Jason Ruff voting no.

Ruff also voted no in November on the proposed 2021 budget, saying that he didn’t think right now was a good time for a tax increase.

The increase breaks down to an additional 0.325 mills for the general fund, bringing it up to a total of 5.125 mills, and 0.025 mills for the fire fund, bringing it up to a total of 0.525 mills. The total millage of both the general fund and the fire fund is 5.650 mills.

The Fire Fund helps the Slatington Volunteer Fire Department cover costs of building repairs and equipment. The increase is expected to bring in an additional $4,300 in funds for the fire department. The total budgeted for the Fire Fund is $90,575.

Borough Manager Dan Stevens said the 2021 budget still has a shortfall of $6,843. The shortfall had been about $12,000, but updated numbers from the state concerning health care costs enabled Stevens to subtract about $5,000 from the expenditures.

During the proposed budget meeting in November, Stevens told the council that health care costs went up 8.5% in 2020 and were projected to increase 14.3%, which would be a 23% increase in two years. The borough covered the unexpected increase in 2020 with funds from the general fund, but the anticipated increase in costs for 2021 were too much to cover without a tax increase.

“There wasn’t much of a way to get around it,” he said at the November meeting.

The last substantial tax increase (1.5 mills) was in 2011. Since then, there was a 0.5 mill increase in 2012, 0.25 mill in 2014, and a 0.05 mill in 2018. No increases were made in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019.

This increase is expected to add about $52 to the average tax bill, Stevens said. The increase will generate a total of $56,225 for the borough.

In other financial matters, Thomas Bartholomew, chairman of the finance/planning/zoning committee, asked for the approval of several items. These include:

• Fixing the per capita tax at $5, and re-enacting the 1% wage tax, the Borough of Slatington local service tax at $52, and 1% realty transfer tax under the local enabling act;

• Setting the salary for the chief of police for 2021 at his current wage of $82,137, plus the increase that will be agreed upon with the Slatington Police Association;

• Appointing Campbell, Rappold and Yurasits as auditor for fiscal year 2020;

• Appointing the Northeast Revenue Service (Elite Revenue) to serve as the delinquent tax collector for the borough of Slatington real estate tax 2020;

• Authorizing Code Enforcement Officer Tony Lopsonzski to attend online course on International Fire Code Essentials for $395;

• Increasing the hourly pay for part-time police officers to $21 per hour;

• Establishing payments into the police pension fund by members for the year 2021;

• Establishing borough fees and charges for borough services or for the use of borough facilities for fiscal year 2021, and;

• Approve and advertise 2021 meeting schedule.

The council meetings will be held at the fire hall for the first six months of 2021, and return to the municipal building for the second half of the year.