ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Allentown City Council will have a special meeting Tuesday for a proposed budget compromise that would slash the city’s solid waste fee by $50 while reinstating a previously removed property tax increase.
The proposal, sponsored by Councilpersons Cynthia Mota Affa, Daryl Hendricks, and Santo Napoli, seeks to reverse a Nov. 19 amendment that removed Mayor Matt Tuerk’s proposed 3.96% tax increase from the General Fund Budget.
According to the meeting agenda, the sponsors argue the new plan is more equitable than the mayor’s initial compromise of a $25 waste fee reduction.
By doubling that reduction to $50 and bringing back the tax hike, officials say the burden shifts away from residents on fixed or limited incomes.
The sponsors noted that under this alternate proposal, approximately 23,000 of the city’s 26,000 single-family residents would see a positive financial impact.
“The alternate proposal lowers the garbage fee and results in little to no increase for lower-valued homes,” council paperwork states. “Higher-valued properties contribute slightly more, which reduces the burden on residents living on fixed or limited income.”
To cover the immediate costs of the fee reduction, the General Fund would lend money to the Solid Waste Fund, a move described as a common city practice that would be paid back over time.
Mayor Tuerk previously vetoed the council’s budget last week for not including the proposed tax hike.
If the compromise is not approved, the budget Mayor Tuerk proposed in October will be instated.
The proposal is scheduled for review during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 30.