TAMAQUA - Tamaqua Borough Council adopted a 2013 budget Tuesday that will not raise taxes or sewer and water rates.
According to council President Micah Gursky, part of the help to make the budget "balanced overall" was the sale of the Tamaqua Community Center for $150,000 to Access Services, a company located next to the community center.
Councilman John Trudich voted against the sale, saying the borough should have gotten a better price, but Councilman Brian Conneley said it was the best available price for the borough.
Expenditures and revenue balance out in next year's budget at $7.8 million, but that includes general fund, water, sewer and the Wabash Creek Improvement Fund.
It also includes the High Rise General Fund, H.D. Buehler Park Fund, Equipment Fund, Capital Reserve Fund and several other funds, including Community Development Block Grants the borough will receive in 2013.
There were additional factors that helped the budget for next year.
A three-year police department contract raises the amount of contributions to be paid by the eight police officers covered under the new contract.
Gursky and Conneley, a police committee member, praised the police officers union for agreeing to increase their pension contributions from 5 to 8 percent. Tamaqua Police Department spokesman and Patrolman Michael Hobbs said the union agreed to the hike because the present issues would have made it difficult for the borough to pay toward the officers' pension over the next three years, the length of the contract. Conneley called it "a fair deal."
Gursky said negotiations with the police union went on for almost a year.
"It is fair to the taxpayers and it is fiscally responsible and the increased contributions by the police officers toward their pensions helped the borough," Gursky said. "I want to thank the police department for working with us."
As for the newly adopted budget, Gursky said there are no changes in millage or water or sewer fees next year.