Allentown City Council cancelled its Wednesday evening meeting, when it was scheduled to finalize the city’s 2026 budget.
The meeting was cancelled due to snow and winter weather, council Vice President Cynthia Mota said. The region was under a winter weather advisory until 6 p.m.
The meeting will be rescheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 16.
The cancellation comes as Mayor Matt Tuerk and a majority of council members are at odds over a proposed tax increase in the budget. City Council in a 5-2 vote last month stripped the 4% property tax increase proposed by Tuerk, and proposed instead taking an additional $1.5 million from the city’s cash reserves to balance the 2026 budget.
However, three council members — Santo Napoli, Daryl Hendricks and Candida Affa — have signed on to a compromise proposal, according to Wednesday’s meeting agenda. That compromise would keep the tax increase at 4% but reduce the increase in city trash fees by $25.
Trash fees are slated to rise by $140 next year for residents, from $605 to $740, in order to cover the increasing costs the city faces due to a new trash contract with J.P. Mascaro and Sons. The compromise proposal would put next year’s trash fees at $715, and would instead “loan” $800,000 from the city’s cash reserves to the city’s solid waste fund to make up the difference.
Mayor Matt Tuerk has threatened to veto the 2026 budget if council passes it without a tax increase. He has said a tax increase is necessary to maintain the city’s essential services, but opponents on city council have said that poor Allentown residents cannot afford a tax increase.
Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com.