Jim Thorpe Borough Ccouncil adopted its final 2016 budget, at $2.109 million, with no change in taxing plans from its tentative adoption last month.

Council also officially adopted the ordinance Thursday that will allow it to increase the price of parking at its meters to $1 per hour.It had previously cost $0.50 per hour to park at a metered space.Real estate taxes will go up by 1 mill, which will generate $97,866 of additional revenue for the borough.Sewer, water and garbage rates will remain the same in 2016.The sewer rate is calculated on the water usage and every 1,000 gallons costs $21.69.As for the water rate, the first 1,000 gallons used per month cost $27.69.Jim Thorpe also collects a half-mill fire tax, 0.0055-mill occupational tax, $5 per capita tax, $52 local services tax and a 1 percent earned income and realty transfer tax.The borough is sticking with Benecon as its health insurance provider, according to Councilman Curtis Jackson."Our rates are going up 8.5 percent and we're paying $323,000 a year for health care," Jackson said. "We brought in a broker that would have given us a deal that was better by $60,000. However, it looks like we'll be eligible for about a $60,000 surplus in our health services account this year. If we leave Benecon without giving six months notice, we'll lose that surplus."The surplus is dependent on the number of claims the borough submits each year.Though Jackson won't be on council in 2016, he suggested his colleagues give Benecon notice in May that they intend to get out of their agreement and shop for a new provider for 2017."That way you could still take any surplus at the end of the year and possibly get savings from going with a new provider," Jackson said.