Coplay Borough Council members continued work on the 2021 budget during the workshop meeting Nov. 3.

Councilwoman and finance committee Chair Janet Eisenhauer noted the committee is looking ahead to manage future tax hikes; however, an increase is expected.

Council plans to approve the first reading of the budget at its meeting Nov. 10.

The budget is expected to contain a tax hike of 1.4 mills. This translates to a tax increase of $182 for a home assessed at $140,000. The 2021 budget total is proposed at $2,796,414. In 2020, the total budget was $2,576,177.

The millage for the library and emergency services remains at 0.38 mill each.

Council President Louis Bodish reported the trash fee is also expected to increase $50 per household.

The date of a special meeting to pass the 2021 budget is tentatively set for 6 p.m. Dec. 21.

In the police report, Coplay Police Chief Vincent Genovese reported 224 calls and the issuance of 16 parking tickets. There were five arrests, including a driving under the influence of a substance, two assaults and one resisting arrest.

Genovese also reported the new police car has arrived. Mayor Dean Molitoris thanked Genovese and Councilman Charles Sodl for their support and assistance in the purchase of the vehicle.

Borough Fire Chief Brandon Bechtel said there were 15 incidents during October - and 96 incidents so far in 2020. The October report included responding to four dwelling fires in Northampton.

At the next park and recreation committee meeting, to be held virtually Nov. 18, members plan to review the lease of the Coplay Sports grounds with Coplay Sports. A long discussion ensued about possibly holding an executive session to discuss issues with the current lease and if a meeting should be called with Coplay Sports leadership and council members to discuss what changes are needed. The discussion ended with a thought there may be several meetings needed to resolve matters.

Eisenhauer reported the library is operating with challenges due to the pandemic. The number of fundraising activities was significantly reduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Council discussed renewing a contract with The Sanctuary at Haafsville for stray animal assistance for the borough.

Planned for approval at the upcoming meeting are the appointments of Broughal & DeVito LLP to audit the 2020 financial statements and the approval of Eisenhauer to the Coplay Public Library board for a three-year term ending Dec. 31, 2023.

Also at the next meeting, council plans to approve a loan for about $122,000 from Neffs National Bank for the purchase of a new sanitation truck. The loan will carry a fixed rate of 2.2 percent.

Council discussed the purchase of four replacement cameras with night-vision capability for the borough pool. The cost is $3,262.

In the public comment portion of the meeting, borough resident Mel Procanyn asked if the preliminary budget was available for review.

Bodish said it could be placed on the borough website.

Resident Anne Killeen asked about renting the sports field to high school teams and if the borough had sufficient insurance to do so.

Eisenhauer responded insurance coverage is reviewed with all organizations that use the ball fields.

The next Coplay Borough Council meeting is 7 p.m. Nov. 10. It is a virtual meeting. The call number is 1-408-650-3133. The access code is 322 687 997, followed by the pound sign.