Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bridgeport council reviews 2026 budget, authorizes advertisement and approves 1-mill municipal increase
Summary
Council heard a final 2026 budget presentation detailing a $4.375 million capital program, a proposed 1-mill municipal tax increase to cover anticipated debt service, and voted to advertise the budget and establish the 2026 municipal tax rate.
Bridgeport Borough Council on Nov. 25 heard a final presentation of the proposed 2026 budget that included a $4,375,000 capital program and a proposed 1-mill increase in the municipal tax rate intended to fund projected debt-service related to planned capital projects.
The budget presenter (identified in the record as the chairman) said the borough’s liquid fuels allocation from PennDOT is estimated at $115,519 for 2026 and noted the borough maintains more than $300,000 in liquid-fuels reserves. He outlined capital requests across departments: $850,000 for streets (including a $600,000 Mill Street/Old Camelot parking project and $200,000 in block‑grant work for inlet/ADA ramp upgrades), $1,750,000 for parks (including $650,000 for Memorial Park improvements and a $1,000,000 Front Street pocket park expected to be covered mostly by grants), $750,000 for sewer department repairs (primarily a trickling-filter sinkhole repair, with $530,000 in insurance recoveries already received), $1,000,000 placeholder for admin/community-development acquisitions, and $25,000 for police equipment, yielding a $4,375,000 proposed capital total.
On operating budgets, the chairman said the general fund proposal for 2026 is $6,874,500 — an increase of $527,000 (8.3%) over 2025 — while the sewer fund is proposed at $1,585,560, up $26,460 (1.7%). He said certain revenue streams are projected to decline by a combined $337,000 next year and that several planned capital projects will require significant borrowing, prompting the proposal to raise the municipal millage by 1 mill (from 12.23 to 13.23 mills). Using example assessments, the chairman said the average Bridgeport home (near $100,000 assessed value) would face roughly a $100 annual increase under the 1-mill change.
Council voted unanimously to authorize advertisement of the 2026 budget and separately approved the ordinance establishing the municipal tax rate for 2026 (the recorded motion appears in the minutes as Ordinance 2025-05). The motions were made and seconded on the floor and carried by voice vote.
The council directed staff to post the advertised budget and the formal tax-rate ordinance in the borough’s public records; no roll-call vote tallies were read into the record at the meeting.
