After last month's intense debate on whether or not to raise next year's taxes 1 mill, Bowmanstown's Borough Council adopted its 2015 proposed budget Tuesday without a tax increase.

In addition, it chose not to enact the 3 percent or 5 percent cable franchise tax it had previously discussed.However, as had been decided at its special budget meeting on Nov. 18, council said it will contribute $400 of its proposed $1,400 per month cellphone tower land lease income, when and if it becomes available with Verizon Wireless, to help fund the borough's volunteer fire department's building mortgage, pending adoption of the final budget.The proposed budget is available for public viewing at borough hall, with the final budget set to be adopted at a special Dec. 18 meeting at 6 p.m.During the public comment portion of Tuesday's meeting, Oak Street resident LaRue Pogwist, present at last month's meeting, asked again about the necessity of a dead end sign recently installed in her and her husband's front yard. She said they had lived there for 40 years without such a sign.Engineer Jessica Rehrig said since the road has been blacktopped "it became a completed street," thus requiring the sign.Council ultimately decided that, to comply with state signage regulations, it needs to stay. But it also reiterated that it will have to see which other dead-end streets within the borough may require similar signage.Later, resident Brian Billig addressed the borough's recently proposed burning ordinance amendments. He called yard waste burning "a horrendous odor ... just terrible" and said, "I, personally, do not want want to be sitting at my house on my day off having to sit there and breathe (that) odor all day long."He also said such constant burning might be detrimental to residents with breathing problems and that the ordinance might not be enforced properly.Councilman Rob Moyer said the main focus of revisiting the ordinance "was to give people a chance to get rid of some stuff that is not easily put out with the trash or that takes a long time to get rid."He noted it would not be like the previous burning ordinance, adopted in the 1980s, that allowed residents to "pretty much burn whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted" and would instead place limits yet also give council some leeway to make decisions based on feedback from the residents as to "how loose or how strict to make it."President Kara Scott said, "I think what's important is that we have not made any decisions, and your input is very valuable."She called the proposed ordinance open-ended, leaving council "the option to put into play a burning day" when and if it becomes necessary but "not actually (open) up the burning ban again."When asked how such an ordinance would be enforced, Mayor William Ravert said council cannot act on verbal complaints.To be considered formal, someone must present a signed, written complaint of a violation of any borough ordinance. He will then call the code enforcement officer to enforce it. If he is not available, Ravert himself will go address the issue.In other news, Councilman Darren Thomas told members there is a water leak at Hamilton and Mill streets that is believed to be from "the tunnel line."He said contractors Craig LaBarre and Brandon Ahner are scheduled to dig and repair the line next week but that regardless of how the situation is handled, even if the water is simply shut off, the price tag would likely be about $10,000.