READING, Pa. – Reading City Council’s focus on Monday night was to get its legislation on the 2026 budget approved.
It managed to do that, but one of the sacrifices was to cut the much-talked-about ice skating rink at a cost savings of about $600,000.
The ill-fated project was a goal of Mayor Eddie Moran.
After wrangling with the proposed budget for the past two months, Reading City Council voted to cut the proposed 9% increase to 6%.
During the past year, sites for the proposed skating rink were rejected at a baseball field behind the Third and Spruce Recreation Center, and then later at a location in City Park.
The final option the city was considering was next to a proposed slash pad at the site of the former hillside pool on North 14th Street.
For several months, council President Donna Reed had suggested that the city not spend money on the project and instead consider a rental agreement for skating at the existing Santander Arena, home of the Reading Royals.
The city was facing a 9% tax increase, but council reduced that amount to a 6% hike Monday night after making some cuts to the budget, including the skating rink.
This week, the city revealed a rink could join a proposed splash pad at the site of the former Hillside Pool on North 14th Street.
When the topic came up, councilmembers questioned whether the newest location for the rink was already under contract.
Finance Director Jamar Kelly said the bids for the rink were having to be redone because of the newest location change.
“It is technically not under contract,” Kelly said.
Unlike the other votes related to the budget, the decision to eliminate the rink from the 2026 capital project budget was a unanimous decision.