Although the North Catasauqua Borough Council has made a number of efforts to economize, borough residents will still find increases in both tax and sewer bills in 2017.

Borough Treasurer Annette Englert presented a budget draft to the council for consideration and revision at the Nov. 15 council meeting. With a couple of revisions, the council concluded the session with a unanimous vote to approve a proposed budget of $1.583 million for the general fund and $567,550 for the sewer fund.

The general fund budget will require a 1.5-mill increase in real estate taxes, to 12.2 mills. Englert said the increase would amount to an increase of $80 to $100 for the average borough taxpayer.

The sewer fund budget will require an increase in residents’ sewer bills. The sewer rate is calculated based on each household’s billing for water usage. This year, the rate was 125 percent. In 2017, the rate will be 150 percent.

Englert explained the increase is necessary in order to build up a fund to be used to care for the borough’s aging sewer pipes and to alleviate the strain on the budget.

A $65,000 capital reserve fund will be created just for sewer infrastructure improvements.

“The reason for the increase is to have funds available in case of emergency,” council President Peter Paone said.

Englert said the average borough household will see an $80 to $100 increase in the 2017 sewer bill.

Englert had met with Paone in October and with Paone and councilpersons Cherie Gebhart and Joe Keglovits earlier this month to trim the original proposed budget where possible.

“We wanted to keep the increase to 1.5 mills,” Englert said.

Keglovits said cuts were made as fairly as possible.

“We looked at every department,” he said. “We tried our best not to alleviate one (department) over the other,” he said.

Paone explained the main reason for the increase despite belt-tightening is that health insurance costs have risen and other revenues have decreased substantially.

The establishment of Allentown’s Neighborhood Improvement Zone and Bethlehem’s City Revitalization and Improvement Zone have meant that a portion of the earned income taxes of North Catasauqua residents who work in those designated areas is now kept by Allentown and Bethlehem instead of being sent to the borough.

Borough income also is decreased by a drop in insurance rebates often received from borough insurance companies when few or no claims are filed. Unfortunately, the borough did not qualify for any rebates this year, so that income also was not available.

After a thorough discussion, council members adjusted a couple of line items in the budget to make funds available for required emergency management FEMA certification training for its emergency management team.

Approval of the proposed budget was unanimous, 7-0.

A copy of the proposed budget will be advertised in the Catasauqua Press and also is posted in the borough office for residents to review.

A final vote will take place, after public comment, if any, at the Dec. 13 meeting.

Gebhardt expressed the feeling of all council members.

“By no means did any of us want to raise taxes, but it is just not possible [to avoid] right now,” she said.