Northampton Borough Council at its meeting last Thursday ensured seniors the borough will provide the necessary accommodations to get free assistance for them to prepare their federal and state income tax returns.

Council granted permission to the AARP to use the multipurpose room at the Northampton Recreation Center on Lerchenmiller Drive to provide the service to seniors.

AARP will have trained, certified tax preparers at the site 9 a.m.-1 p.m.every Monday Feb. 4 through April 15.

Before moving to the recreation center several years back, AARP was at the Northampton Memorial Community Center.

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The borough also granted permission to the Dakota Galusha Memorial Fund to hold its fifth annual fundraiser at the recreation center March 9-10, 2013, during which time basketball tournaments will be played. The organization was founded to honor the memory of 12-year-old Dakota Galusha who died in a freak accident Jan. 26, 2009. There is a $1,125 rental fee.

In other business, council discussed money received from the state.

"We received our pension state aid check in the amount if $153,772.72. This was $14,272.72 more than I anticipated. The excess amount will be divided by two and equal portions deposited in both [uniformed and non-uniformed] pension plans," said borough Manager Gene Zarayko.

Also, Harrisburg forwarded the borough's 2013 liquid fuels allotment of $188,836, which is $8,866 less than this year. Zarayko said $15,653 arrived from the state for the borough's recycling program.

"This funding, along with a lot of state funding, continues to drop," Zarayko reported.

Councilman Anthony Lopsonzski Sr. also reported $56,717 in state funding will be applied to the volunteer firemen's relief association. The subsidy is granted annually to firemen's groups statewide.