Weatherly Borough Council approved a final 2026 budget last week and took steps to strengthen its police force.

Council approved the $7.8 million budget, which has a 1.25-mill increase in taxes and raises utilities to meet higher acquisition costs and fund infrastructure upgrades to an aging delivery system.

The budget, which had been tentatively approved at the beginning of the month, had been reopened by a reorganized council in January. The new budget added $25,000 to account for a higher tax anticipation note of $125,000, instead of $100,000.

Council also moved to bring one of its part-time officers on as a full-time officer starting Friday.

Michael Eyer, who has been a part-time officer with the borough since March 11, 2011, will be starting as a full-time officer at $30.38 an hour, Borough Manager Tracy Grover said.

The borough currently has five full-time officers and two part-time officers, she said.

Part-time officers will also be making a little more money, Grover said. Council also approved a $1 raise for part-time officers from $26 an hour to $27 an hour, she said.

In January, the borough added a member to and reactivated its Civil Service Commission, which a borough panel that oversees police testing and produces an eligibility list from which council hires officers, to bolster its police force, which was down officers.