Bethlehem residents will see no hike in property taxes under a $112 million 2026 budget approved by City Council in a 5-2 vote Wednesday night. But some council members would have liked a tax hike to pay for more fire protection.
Marking the third straight year without a hike, according to Business Administrator Eric Evans, the city’s budget means the owner of a property in Northampton County assessed at $57,100 will pay approximately $1,120 in taxes. A resident of the city’s Lehigh County portion with real estate assessed at more than $180,000 will have a tax bill of approximately $1,220. The figures do not include county or school district property taxes.
Current millage rates for the city’s real estate tax bill are 6.21 in Lehigh County and 19.64 in Northampton County, Budget and Finance Director Linnea Lazarchack said in an email before the budget vote.
The biggest issue surrounding this year’s budget had been around staffing of firefighters, with union members calling on the city to add four firefighters, and Mayor J. William Reynolds preferring to wait until results are released of a study into the city’s entire emergency response efficiency before making any decisions on fire staffing. That is expected next year.
The issue resurfaced again Tuesday, with Council members Bryan Callahan and Grace Crampsie Smith, who both voted no on the budget, speaking in favor of funding several more firefighters via a tax hike.
“Since our budget meetings, many people have said they are really concerned about our lack of staffing, and they would be more than willing to do a tax increase or whatever it takes to have a fire department that is adequately staffed,” said Crampsie Smith, calling the matter a “public safety crisis.”
Callahan said Evans provided figures showing that the $330,000 needed to hire four new firefighters would raise taxes by $11.42 a year for the average household.
A majority of council rejected budget amendments offered previously by Crampsie Smith, as well as Callahan’s suggestion earlier this month to raise taxes.
“I just hope and pray that we don’t have an emergency this year in the fire department,” Callahan said.
The city’s fire department staffing level is below standards set by the National Fire Protection Association, according to a study backed by the International Association of Fire Fighters and released by the Bethlehem firefighters union in late October. The department should have at least 113 firefighters to adequately protect the growing city from fire dangers, according to union Local 735 President Lou Jimenez, who is also a department lieutenant.
The city staffs 18 firefighters citywide per shift, below the 30 recommended by the National Fire Protection Association, the study says. Further, though the city has budgeted for 104 firefighters, it only has 82 currently due to vacancies or long-term absences due to illness or military deployment. Many are working overtime, Jimenez said.
Firefighters also previously said that the lack of adequate staffing poses a danger to them and the community.
Tuesday’s Council meeting marked the last for members Crampsie Smith and Kiera Wilhelm, who chose not to run for reelection. Crampsie Smith, a two-term council member, lost to Reynolds in May’s Democratic mayoral primary.
New Council members Jo Daniels and Justin Amann will be sworn in when council holds its first meeting of 2026 at 7 p.m. Jan. 5. The meeting will be Monday instead of council’s normal first Tuesday of the month.
Contact Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone at asalamone@mcall.com.