At a special meeting Dec. 20, Catasauqua Borough Council provided taxpayers an early holiday present - a 2022 general fund budget with no tax increase.

Included in the overall budget is a 3.5-percent sewer rate hike. This translates to about a $5 monthly increase for the average household.

Reached after the meeting, council President Vincent Smith pointed out last year’s budget was decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The borough was facing a significant potential budget shortfall because of declining earned income tax, real estate sales receipts and a higher percentage of taxpayers being unable to pay their taxes in a timely manner.

This potential shortfall was to be experienced by municipalities throughout the nation. These challenges were aided by the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which provided funds to help municipalities stay afloat. Catasauqua received hundreds of thousands of dollars, which greatly shored up the borough’s budget, Smith noted.

In other business, council passed an ordinance that fixed the tax rate for the 2022 general fund at 7.35 mills. The ordinance passed unanimously.

The board also unanimously approved a resolution amending fees for refuse collection at $360 per year, as well as sewer and water rates and a resolution to set the senior citizen discount for taxes and fee payments.

The public works contract agreement for the next five years was also passed.

The ordinance and resolutions can be found for public review by visiting catasauqua.org or calling the borough office at 610-264-0571.

Borough Manager Stephen Travers announced the borough received a Community Development Block Grant from Lehigh County for the external building repairs at the George Taylor House in the amount of $43,000.

Council will hold a reorganization meeting 7 p.m. Jan. 3, 2022. It is both an in-person and virtual meeting. Visit catasauqua.org to obtain the access codes and call-in numbers.