Northampton Borough residents are likely to see a small increase in taxes for 2015.

Borough Manager Gene Zarayko released the 2015 proposed budget at the Nov. 20 council meeting. The $6,014,502 spending plan includes a 0.5-mill increase in real estate taxes, bringing the real estate tax levy to 9 mills.

The millage rate is said to rank as the lowest among boroughs in Northampton County, except for Chapmans.

"The tax increase for the average homeowner [$50,000 assessed value] would amount to $25 per year or 48 cents a week," Zarayko noted.

According to Zarayko, a number of factors contributed to the increase.

"The contributing factors to the increase of the budget are because of wage increases and health care coverage," he said. "Last year, our health care coverage went up 12.8 percent and this year it will be going up 18.5 percent."

The tentative budget, which council will adopt at its December meeting, includes $44,000 for a new police vehicle, $2,300 for software for the fire department's "I Am Responding" programs and two 65-inch TVs mounted at the fire station, costing $1,100.

The budget also includes $70,000 in paving materials, $5,000 for repainting the swimming pool, $2,500 for a snow blower and $7,000 for a line-painting machine.

"As you can see, this is a stringent budget," Zarayko added. "However, we should survive, providing we have a moderate winter. We are getting a big bang for the buck."

The largest source of revenue includes $1,720,000 in property taxes and $1,1220,000 in earned income taxes,

On the expenditure side, the police department budget is estimated at $1,721,467, including $1,078,340 for salaries and wages, $95,030 for fire prevention, $713,218 for public works and highways, $1,000,618 for refuse pickup and $246,082 for the recreation center.