No City Tax Increase for 2016

2016 Budget Gets First Reading

LOCK HAVEN – City council Monday night gave a first reading to the proposed 2016 Lock Haven budget.

The document amounts to $10.645 million and will see city real estate taxes unchanged in 2016. The first reading approval was unanimous and came with virtually no comment from the public. The proposed document had been introduced in mid-November. A second public hearing and final adoption on the proposal will be held Dec. 21.

The only person to speak was Diane Whitaker, executive director of the Ross Library; she thanked the city for its past support and asked council to increase its contribution from $25,500 this year to $26,000 next year.

Whitaker also touched on the state budget impasse and its prospective effect on library operations. Traditionally, she said, the state provides its allotment to the library in mid-January, dollars that represent about one-third of the library costs. She said should the impasse not be settled soon, that money may not be available until February or March of next year. Because of the potential shortfall, Whitaker said, the library board will meet this week to discuss contingencies.

Council gave its approval to the hiring of an entry level police officer. He is Bruce Mann of Lewistown. City manager Rich Marcinkevage said Mann had successfully passed the required testing and has his law enforcement certification from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He presently is an EMT in Mifflin County and is expected to join the Lock Haven force sometime in December. He replaces Tom Nagle who retired earlier this year. The Mann hire puts the current force at 13 members.