EBENSBURG — The Ebensburg Borough Council on Monday passed the 2025 annual budget without an increase in real estate taxes by a 4-2 vote, with council members Mike Murphy and Dave Kuhar voting against the budget.

Councilman Bob Miller was not present at the meeting.

The budget is balanced with revenues and expenditures set at $7,436,845, according to the meeting’s agenda.

Kuhar, who was not at the meeting but attended through a phone call, stated he was not in favor of adopting the budget due to worries of the borough’s reserve fund balance depleting over time without a slight increase in real estate taxes.

The general fund budget reflects a 0.48% decrease over last year, according to the agenda, which states that the decrease in expenditures is primarily due to the borough purchasing the municipal parking lot earlier this year, which it has rented for more than 40 years, Cook said.

Revenues were also slightly down due to the assessed value of real estate, transfer tax and interest earnings decreasing, the agenda states.

In other business, during the public comment portion of the meeting, several concerned residents urged council members to consider making North Spruce Street one-way from West High Street to West Crawford Street.

Ben Clauto, who lives along West Sample Street, said people pull into his driveway to get around other drivers, which has resulted in “a monetary loss” to repair his damaged driveway, he said.

Chris Dumm of West Sample Street said her car has “almost been sideswiped” three times in the last two months from drivers who are “in a hurry” and “not paying attention” to the road.

Many who spoke during public comment noted the road used to be a one-way street, but was changed about a decade ago after council received a request from an apartment building owner, who claimed the two-way traffic would be “beneficial” for his tenants, Mayor Randy Datsko said.

Ebensburg resident Brian Dumm said he thinks it’s a shame that the road was changed to accommodate renters who “don’t really have a dog in the fight” when several property owners are “feeling the brunt of” two-way traffic.

“When my kids are playing in their grandmother’s backyard and someone floors it to 50 (miles per hour) to try to get up that street because someone is standing up there waiting, how safe is that?” Dumm asked rhetorically.

“This is one of those situations I think common sense needs to trump the X’s and O’s of it,” Dumm said.

Last month, council members started discussing the process for changing the street’s direction after a resident spoke during public comment with concerns about the road reportedly being too narrow for two-way traffic. At that meeting, council directed the borough’s staff to investigate the street’s measurements and history further.

In a meeting with PennDOT officials, one staff member discussed limiting turns from West High Street onto Spruce Street, which PennDOT officials were OK with as “it would not disrupt their traffic pattern on (West) High Street,” the agenda for Monday’s council meeting states.

During the meeting Monday, Borough Manager Kelly Cook said TranSystems, the borough’s engineer, is still drafting an engineering report to determine the feasibility of making North Spruce Street a one-way road.

State law dictates a study must be made whenever a street is being changed from two directions to one, council President Doug Tusing said, noting the report should be available by the council’s Dec. 16 meeting.

“We’re not going to make a decision until we get the engineering report because, if we make a decision now and it is contradictory to the engineering report, then we’re going to have to revisit it again,” Tusing said.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.