The Emmaus Borough Council approved a proposed 2026 budget that increases property taxes for the second year in a row.
The first reading of the approved budget plan calls for an increase from 10.4455 mills to 10.6456 mills. This corresponds to an increase of 1.92%. Under the proposed budget, the tax bill for a $200,000 assessed property would rise by an extra $40 year.
The general fund tax rate of 6.9268 mills, the fire fund tax of 1.4751 mills, the special roads fund tax of 32 mills, the streetlight fund tax of 159 mills, and two other taxes, the debt services tax of 1.5853 mills and the library tax of 1794 mills, make up the overall tax rate. The 2026 expenditure plan's additional categories do not raise property tax rates.
Increases in water and meter rates are also included in the budget. When the property tax increase is added to the average flow rate for a household of four, the result is an annual increase of $92.36, or 2.72%. The borough approved a 25.6% tax increase a year prior to the proposed average 2.72% overall increase.
Additionally, the borough has a number of capital expenditures. These include $650,000 in upgrades to Lions Park, of which $319,000 will come from a grant. Two-thirds of the $300,000 cost of a leaf truck, or $200,000, will come from a grant. The proposed expenditure plan also funds $172,000 for a bucket truck. The police department will spend $4.87 million on operations, and the fire department will spend $3.1 million. Of that amount, $1.4 million will go toward a new fire apparatus, which will be funded by borrowed funds.
35.4% of the borough's overall budget expenses are covered by collected property taxes. Property taxes account for 44.6% of Emmaus's overall fund. Fees, wage taxes, grants, and other revenue sources pay the remaining 55.4%. The borough saved a total of $12.6 million as a result of their thrift. He mentioned that taxpayers saved $1 million by using in-house labor at Lions Park instead of outsourcing the job. Additionally, Emmaus property owners kept an additional $202,025 for in-house paving.
The deadline for final budget approval is December 15.