HOLLIDAYSBURG — The borough released its 2021 draft budget Thursday, which has a $80,000 decrease in projected revenues from last year.

Hollidaysburg Borough Manager Jim Gehret shared the preliminary budget with council, calling it the hardest one from “the revenue side” he’s worked on in his 17 years of work.

For 2021, revenue is budgeted at $3,083,350, which is $82,750 less than budgeted for 2020. Gehret said the borough is projecting the decrease to occur across its three main revenue sources: real estate tax, earned income taxes and local service tax.

Gehret said the preliminary budget has a slight deficit at the moment, with expenditures at $3,088,613. He said, however, that this may be a high projection — the borough hasn’t yet received definitive costs on health care or property and liability insurance.

“It’s better to err on the side of caution,” he said. “We hope they come in a little lower.”

If there is a deficit, Gehret said Borough Council would likely look at reserve funds to balance the budget. He said he does not project a tax increase.

The 2021 preliminary budget decreases expenditures by $140,792 from the 2020 budget (at $3,229,405). Gehret said this decrease reflects the borough’s limiting of purchases from its capital reserve fund through the year.

Borough Council will receive the final budget at its Nov. 12 meeting, after which it will be published on its website — www.hollidaysburgpa.org/Pages/default.aspx — for the public. The borough will publish its tax ordinance in late November and plans to have the final budget adopted at the December council meeting.

In other business, Borough Council approved the preliminary/final plan for the Presbyterian Senior Living parking lot project. It also authorized the submission of applications to receive regular and COVID-19 Community Development Block Grant funds.

Mirror Staff Writer Dom Cuzzolina is at 814-946-7428.