Slatington borough council is considering a 1.3-mill tax increase for 2024.

The general fund increase would be 1.2 mills with a 0.1 mill increase in the fire tax, said borough manager Dan Stevens. This will increase the millage from 6.2 mills to 7.5 mills.

“It’s a 21% increase,” Stevens said.

Stevens explained that the increase is due to a rise in the cost of health care benefits, the addition of a new full-time police officer, budgeting for part-time officers and additional road work projects.

The total revenue and expenses for the borough is anticipated to be $2.8 million next year.

The borough is in the process of hiring another full-time police officer. Earlier this year, the council moved $100,000 from the part-time officer budget to the full-time officer budget in order to hire an additional full-time officer. The borough didn’t have any part-time officers on staff.

For the 2024 budget, that increase in the full-time officer budget will remain, increasing the budget from $595,000 to $685,000 for wages. The council also reinstated funds for part-time officers by adding $70,000 to the budget.

Stevens said the money for part-time officers will cover 50 hours per week for 52 weeks. This could be split between two part-time officers each doing 25 hours or several part-time officers each doing just a few hours per a week. It also factors in an increase in hourly pay from $21 to $25 per hour “to make it more competitive,” he said.

The 2024 police budget for wages, supplies, vehicle costs and other expenses totals a little more than $1 million, of which $755,000 is wages alone. Healthcare insurance premiums are not part of this budget. That is part of the budget that also includes borough administration and highway employees.

According to the budget, health insurance for administration, police and highway employees went up from $111,799 in 2023 to $143,463. Health insurance for the employees at the water department and sewer department both went from $89,439 to $114,770.

The sewer department also saw increases in laboratory reports and legal services. The budget increased funds for laboratory reports from $40,000 to $75,000, and legal services from $5,000 to $30,000.

Stevens said the state Department of Environmental Protection wants the borough to decrease the amount of copper in water being discharged into the Lehigh River to a level below that of drinking water. The increase in legal fees is because the borough is disputing this requirement.

The good news he said is that the water, sewer and garbage rates are not increasing this year.

The council will meet on Dec. 18 for a special meeting to vote on the budget.

The budget is available for the public to view in the borough office.