Mount Jewett will likely see some good news in 2017.
The line is slated to be held on taxes, and the police force could be returning to the borough, officials said.
Mount Jewett Borough Council President Brett Morgan made the announcement Thursday afternoon as borough council prepares to approve advertising its proposed $297,497 spending plan during a meeting on Monday.
Morgan said the tax rate will remain the same at 8.25 mills.
“It feels pretty good to be able to hold the line on taxes. Nobody wants to raise taxes, that’s for sure,” Morgan said.
The tentative budget includes funding to bring back the borough police department.
Mount Jewett saw no police force in 2016. Earlier this year, three borough council members voted in favor of reinstating police coverage, while four members voted against the matter.
But now, enough public outcry has prompted council to place funding in the proposed budget for a police department in 2017, Morgan said.
“That’s what the people want …,” Morgan said, adding he has his own view on the matter, a perspective he declined to expound upon.
Morgan said he is figuring one person would staff the department, but that decision would be left up to the mayor to work within the allotted budget.
A total of $5,000 is being proposed for police expenses, according to borough secretary-treasurer Barbara Harp. The wage would be $12.50 an hour, she said. A total of 25 hours is being earmarked for the force, Morgan said.
Also next year in the borough, one of the projects being planned is road paving, which would likely involve two streets, Morgan said.
At this point, the specific roads have not been identified, Morgan said.
“They’re very expensive projects,” Morgan said, saying that such work ranges from $50,000 to $100,000, a good portion of the borough’s budget.
The borough also is planning on tarring and chipping roads, he said.
Other major costs for the borough include health insurance and other items, like workers’ compensation, for public works employees and the borough secretary.
The proposed budget is expected to be approved sometime during the last week of December, Harp said.
