HONESDALE, PA — For the first time in years, Honesdale Borough will not need to increase property taxes next year, according to the finance committee’s proposed 2021 budget.

The borough has raised taxes by about 41 percent between 2016 and 2020, last year’s increase of 13 percent was the highest of the four. Last year, council president Mike Augello even said that due to a shrinking tax base, the borough was caught in a “never-ending spiral of tax increases.”

But now the borough’s finance committee—made up of councilors Jared Newbon, William McAllister and James Brennan; secretary/manager Judy Poltanis; and treasurer J.J. Corlew—is reporting that due to “fiscally conservative spending policies enacted over the past several years,” that spiral can come to a halt in 2021.

Other budget highlights

The committee’s report also promises to provide the Honesdale Borough Police with “its long-awaited new cruiser” and that “capital budget  will allow for each cruiser to be replaced every four years.”

To bring in additional funding, the committee said that it will be working with the Greater Honesdale Partnership (GHP), the borough’s economic growth agency, to work on obtaining more grant funding for borough expenses.

“The finance committee added a line item for grant-matching funds as an effort to work [more closely] with the GHP,” the report said.

And the borough’s effort to address its numerous stormwater issues are expected to continue into 2021, with the finance committee budgeting for “multiple stormwater improvements and repairs.”

Through taxes, various fees for borough services and grant funding, the committee has proposed a total revenue of about $3.6 million and has about $800K in cash on hand.