Hamburg passes municipal budget

HAMBURG — The average Hamburg resident will see a $27 per year municipal tax increase thanks to the newly adopted 2014 budget, which was passed unanimously at Monday night’s Borough Council meeting.

The $42,000 borough-wide increase in tax revenue is due mainly to the county-mandated revaluation, Mayor Paul Marino said. The revaluation will cost the borough $50,000 per year for the next five years.

“We tried to stay as tight as we could,” Marino said, noting that the tax burden would have decreased slightly if not for the revaluation. “We tried to give people a break.”

A big part of the break came in the form of flat water and sewer rates, which will remain stable after several straight years of increases.

The borough also benefitted from funds received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which were used for road and sewer improvements, as well as new generators.

“We’ve gotten the money back and we’ve reinvested in the town,” Marino said.