Weatherly residents will be paying more for utilities in 2026.

Borough council on Monday approved increases for water, sewer and electricity to meet higher acquisition costs and fund infrastructure upgrades to its systems.

Residents will be paying 20% more for water and electricity and the sewer rate will increase $60 a year, or $5 a month.

Borough Manager Harold Pudliner explained that increases are needed, as the borough is paying more for commercial electricity and that’s contributing to higher operating costs for utilities.

“You’ve probably seen in the news. Electricity rates are going up everywhere and we’re not far behind that,” he said. “We pay an electric bill just like you do.”

Operations cost have increased about $3,000 a month for the sewer department only, Pudliner explained, saying that the borough doesn’t get a special electric rate.

“We pay what you do,” he said.

And Weatherly residents pay less than people served by PPL, Pudliner said, adding that he’s run his own bills and the borough rate is less.

“It was cheaper to live here than it was to live out there, rate wise,” he said.

The 20% electricity rate hike is specially to fund the RPM, or reliability pricing model, which is a system that accounts for securing additional electricity sources during peak heating and cooling seasons.

That rate is set by auction each year, and there have been fewer generation sources coming online and more demand driving up the rate, Pudliner explained.

The borough also needs to do infrastructure work on its water system, which needs to replace water mains and pumps as well as upgrade wells, he said.

The sewer plant, which was brand-new when he came to the borough 28 years ago, needs to replace obsolete operating systems.

“Just this week, they’re starting to fail,” Pudliner said. “We’re hoping that within the next day or two, before Christmas, the real present would be that we can get the parts to keep that plant running.

“We’re down to one tank out of two, and most of the parts are obsolete,” he said. “We got to raise rates and we got to keep upgrading our systems.”

Pudliner pointed out that he’s asked for increases in the past and council didn’t approve them.

“Now, unfortunately, it has to be caught up, because we’re facing the fact that the sewer plant and water systems need to be upgraded,” he said. “That’s the reason for the rate increases in 2026.”

Councilman Joe Cyburt said that he is one of the people that pushed off past increases, and maybe they’d be in better shape if they would have listened and did a little bit more work rather than trying to help residents and keep rates low.

Council also approved a $7.8 million budget for 2026. The only change noted early in the meeting was the addition of $25,000 to an account for council going with a $125,000 tax anticipation note, rather than a $100,000 note.

Council sought requests for proposals from three banks, and two banks returned rates. Mauch Chunk Trust was the lowest interest rate at 4.25 % on the tax anticipation note, which is a loan to fund borough operations until taxes begin to come in midyear.

Council approved the $125,000 note from Mauch Chunk Trust at the 4.25% interest rate.

Council also approved the tax ordinance, which set the tax rate at 11.55 mills, which is a 1.25 mill increase over the current rate. Other taxes include real estate transfer tax, 1%; per capita, $5; earned income tax, 1%, Local service tax, $52 a year.

Council adopted the 2026 budget following an executive session for personnel and real estate at the end of the meeting.

Councilman Michael Bellizia said that council will be reopening the budget next year. Council is allowed to reopen its budget following an election year with a reorganized council seated in January.

The borough is currently negotiating with a newly formed union for borough employees, and exact costs for the coming year were still unclear when the preliminary budget was approved earlier in the month.

Solicitor Jim Nanovic said that council would need to approve a reopened budget by Feb. 15.