NORTHUMBERLAND — The Borough Council approved a 2-mill tax increase Monday night to balance its $1.3 million 2009 budget.

Council President Bryan Wolfe said a combination of increased salaries and insurance costs, as well as some major projects — including repairs to the gazebo in King Street Park — made the increase necessary.

Salaries for the borough manager, police chief and patrolmen all went up about 4 percent, and health care costs for the police department also went up several thousand dollars as well.

As for the maintenance work in the park, Wolfe said the 30-year-old gazebo is “almost beyond disrepair” and has only had minor maintenance done to it in that time.

The cost of the repairs is around half a mill, he said. One mill brings in $28.342.

The borough did not raise taxes for 2008 and raised them by 0.2 mills for 2007.

“If you compare (our budget) to most municipalities, we’re probably doing pretty well,” Wolfe said.

The average taxpayer will pay $20 to $50 more in taxes next year.

The council will adopt the final draft of the 2009 budget at its Dec. 15 meeting.

For information on the 2009 budget, visit www.northumberlandborough.com.

In other business, the council accepted the resignation of solicitor Rick Shoch, effective at the beginning of next year.

Shoch said he resigned for personal reasons, also citing his workload as the solicitor for Point and Mahoning townships, as well as several boards and authorities in those municipalities.

The borough followed Shoch’s recommendation to hire attorney Ryan Tira, of the Williamsport law firm McNerney, Page, Vanderlin & Hall, as the new solicitor.

Shoch said Tira was labor counsel for the borough in several contract negotiations.

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