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JERSEY SHORE -- Property taxes in the Jersey Shore Borough will not increase in 2021.
Borough Council this week unanimously approved a 2021 budget that keeps the tax rate the same and balances expenses and income at $1,836,380.
Moreover, council authorized the police commission to continue investigating further regionalization services of the Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police Force.
Meeting by Zoom, Cody Hoover, borough manager, said the general purpose tax rate has not changed from 8.966 mills and disclosed that if a borough resident has a property assessed at $100,000, he or she pays $896.60 in property taxes.
Also with council's approval, Hoover was granted a pay raise from $55,000 to $65,000, an 18 percent increase.
Hoover was hired in early November upon the resignation of former manager Joe Hamm, who won the seat to serving the 84th District of the state House of Representatives in the Nov. 3 General Election.
Council also unanimously approved a new, three-year contract with unionized borough employees.
According to Hoover, the contract is identical to the previous one and includes 3 percent, annual wage increases for highway employees per year.
Also in the budget, council decided to increase the amount allocated to the public library from $7,000 to $7,500.
Hoover said that there are no current plans for any large capital projects in 2021.
Meanwhile, a study looking at the feasibility of further regionalizing the Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police Force with Old Lycoming Township's police department remains on the table.
Hoover described the study as having developed viable benefits to regionalizing the two police departments.
Police commission meetings are the first Monday of the month.
In other business, council unanimously agreed to allow Penn Strategies to apply for a $2.5 million grant through the U.S. Economic Development Agency (EDA) to help upgrade the public safety building in the borough.
Trinity United Methodist Church also was granted access to the gazebo on Main Street for outside, COVID-friendly services.
Council also approved a re-use plan to authorize SEDA-Council of Governments to use the housing and urban development information IT used last year to apply for funds for the borough's rehabilitation project with the Community Development Block Grant program.
The recreation committee also noted the Jersey Shore YMCA is closed until further notice to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Councilman Sean Simcox updated council on the Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital helicopter pad, which he said could be completed by the spring.
All members were present, some on Zoom teleconference and some in person. The public was asked to participate via Zoom.
The next council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 11.