GreenTree Borough Council on Monday adopted the borough's 2026 budget, kept the real-estate tax rate at a 4.61 millage and approved an increase in the sanitary-sewer user fee. The budget passed by roll call after council members said they were able to balance the plan this year without raising property taxes.

Council members and staff said grant awards and careful expense reviews helped avoid a tax hike. A council member noted the millage means about $461 in annual property tax for a $100,000 assessed value and repeated that the budget contains no tax increase for 2026.

In a related vote, council passed Ordinance 1,912 to fix the real-estate tax rate at 4.61 mills for fiscal year 2026. Council also approved Ordinance 1,913 to raise the borough's sanitary-sewer user fee to $7 per 1,000 gallons, effective Jan. 1, 2026; borough staff said the average household (12,000 gallons per quarter) can expect roughly a $3 increase per quarter for the borough portion of the bill.

The council's finance discussion flagged that while this year's plan avoids a millage increase, future years are uncertain because costs and demands on capital programs continue to grow. Council asked staff and the incoming finance committee to keep working on grant-seeking and cost-control measures.

Votes: The ordinances and budget were approved by roll-call vote. (Individual roll-call entries appear in the meeting record.)

The council also ratified routine invoice payments and approved the borough's December bills during the same meeting. The budget will take effect at the start of the borough's 2026 fiscal year; council members said a future finance committee will monitor revenues and grant dependencies.