Nesquehoning council approved its 2024 budget, keeping a 1.25-mill increase in real estate taxes.

On Wednesday, the board approved the budget based on the proposed budget that passed on Dec. 6.

That now brings the millage up to 20.8.

The millage breakdown includes the newly added street lighting millage line. The breakdown is 17.5 for general fund, 0.35 for parks and recreation; 1.85 for fire protection; and 1.1 for street lighting.

Councilwoman Fran Heaney, chair of the budget and finance committee, said that it was an interesting year preparing the budget since the longtime borough secretary left in May to take another job.

“We all learned a lot,” she said, adding that there was a lot of discussion and reworking the budget to create a document that directly outlined several line items.

She said that the millage increase was necessary based on the increases to everyday expenses.

“It was not an easy decision for us to do this,” Heaney said. “We sat down and recognized everything that we all have to pay out of our own pockets, so does the borough. Our gas, our electricity, our supplies have all increased so we had to make a 1.25 millage increase to get everything covered.”

She added that council wished they didn’t have to increase taxes for the residents, but there was no other choice than to do so based on the millage rate going down and expenses going up.

Councilwoman Mary Fox said that a mill represents $62,983, down around $2,000 from the 2023 mill rate.

“We’re losing thousands of dollars on a mill so even though we’re putting the taxes up, we’re not getting a whole lot more money than we had last year,” Fox said.

A mill for municipalities is calculated based on the assessed value of the properties within that taxing district, meaning that the value in Nesquehoning went down for next year.

Council also pointed out the looming increase in sanitation costs toward the end of next year.

Based on other municipalities, Nesquehoning is bracing for at least doubling the bill for sanitation when a new contract is decided upon.

Officials have already taken measures for next year to try to buffer the blow to residents by slightly increasing the garbage fee for 2024 as a way to build some funds to help cover a portion of the increase to the sanitation contract.

Fire departments

In other budget matters, Councilwoman Lois Kuba said that there was approximately $4,300 in the avoidable fire alarm line item. That is generated by fees collected for fines businesses or residents receive when they have automatic fire alarms that require a fire department response.

Kuba said she checked with the auditor and after getting approval, requested that council liquidate that fund and split the money in that fund equally between the three volunteer fire departments.

She said that the volunteers take their time to go to these again and again and deserve that money.

Kuba thanked the fire company volunteers in attendance and noted that this money was above the annual amount the borough gives each fire department for operational costs.

“We want you to know you are much appreciated,” she said.