Allentown council fails 4-3 to override mayor's veto of budget resolution R199

Allentown City council met in a special session to vote on Resolution R199, a motion to override Mayor DeVito's veto of budget bills 84–90; the motion failed on a 4–3 roll call, one vote short of the five votes required. The debate focused on whether to accept a compromise that would reinstate a roughly 3.9% tax increase while reducing a contracted solid-waste fee by $50 and funding the difference with an interfund loan.

The issue drew several public speakers who urged the council to override the veto. Joseph Maher, a former Lehigh County commissioner and attorney, warned of upward pressure on rents under the proposed budgets and said he had seen "gross amounts of increases like 10 to 20%" in proposed rent hikes. The solicitor told council members, "Under the current charter, there is no default budget," clarifying that the city could enter 2026 without an…