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Allentown council adopts 2026 budgets, approves wide slate of ordinances and transfers
Summary
Allentown City Council approved the 2026 general fund and multiple department fund budgets as amended and passed a series of ordinances and transfers — including appropriations for PFAS remediation, arts funding, and a transfer to open a warming shelter. Bill 84 (the 2026 budget) passed 4–3 after a title amendment and contains no tax increase as presented.
Allentown City Council voted to adopt the city—udgets and a string of ordinance and appropriations measures for 2026 during its year-end meeting.
Bill 84, the omnibus 2026 budget covering the general fund, administrative order fund, risk management fund, debt service, equipment fund and golf fund, passed after an amendment to change a job title in the budget and several line edits. A councilor noted the amended bill incorporates a $100,000 allocation to the health department for services for people experiencing homelessness and creates a deputy director position; council discussion emphasized that, "as it stands in front of you, [the bill] has no tax increase." The roll call for Bill 84 was recorded as 4 in favor and 3 opposed.
Council also approved a bundle of fund-specific ordinances that passed with affirmative roll calls: Bill 85 (building code fund for Community and Economic Development), Bill 86 (liquid fuels fund), Bill 87 (rental unit licensing fund, maintaining current rental fees), Bill 88 (solid waste fund budget and a change to the municipal waste fee as presented in the staff text), Bill 89 (stormwater fund, maintaining the stormwater utility fee at $20 per 500 square feet), and Bill 90 (Trexler Fund budget for 2026). Where recorded, the clerk announced unanimous or near-unanimous passage for those items.
The council also moved a series of targeted appropriations and transfers: Bill 98 authorized a $1,000,000 pass-through appropriation from the DCD local share account for the Baum School of Art; Bill 99 amended the capital fund to appropriate $3,125,825.97 from class-action funds toward potential PFAS remediation system costs the city may be required to install; Bill 100 approved a $25,000 transfer from a building-code fund to the YMCA to open an early warming shelter; and R198 approved transfers totaling $162,358.75 for salt purchasing and actuarial services.
Several routine and ministerial items also passed, including a cooperative equipment purchase for the golf course and consent-agenda approvals that authorize building permits tied to sewage planning modules at 425 Hamilton Street and work at 231 North Fulton Street.
The council concluded with tributes to departing members and adjourned. The organizational meeting, where newly elected council members will be sworn in and leadership elected, was announced for 2026-01-05 at 6 p.m.
