HOLLIDAYSBURG — Borough residents will see their first property tax increase in more than five years as Borough Council unanimously approved a 0.15 millage increase Thursday in order to finance a suite of maintenance projects across all six local parks.

The 0.15 increase will raise the Parks and Recreation millage from 0.63 to 0.78, for a total effective millage of 3.70 mills in 2026, not including millage leveraged by the Hollidaysburg Area School District.

That represents an additional tax obligation of $15 per year for a property valued at $100,000, and $30 per year on a $200,000 property, according to Finance Director Stacy Wert.

The preliminary 2026 borough budget indicates an anticipated revenue of about $4,019,939 to cover about $3,958,906 in expenses, leaving a surplus of about $61,033.

According to Borough Manager Ethan Imhoff, the six parks directly owned by the borough — Canal Basin Park, Chimney Rocks Park, Kelly Park, Sweet Cherry Court, Quince Court Park and Mattern Orchard Park — will require about $316,000 in order to address their most pressing needs.

Canal Basin’s wooden play structure is showing signs of deterioration on several support beams, while the band shell, bathrooms, Reiser House and parking lot bridge all need repairs totaling $115.

Chimney Rocks requires $45,000 in work to update the bathrooms, bathroom roof and some trail work, while Kelly Park needs a new basketball court and play structure for $43,000.

Sweet Cherry Court needs about $43,000 to replace its play structure, but Imhoff suggested that the park may be completely redesigned using the new revenue.

Quince Court could benefit from a new basketball court at a cost of $20,000, according to Imhoff, who said that installing an accessible play surface at Mattern Orchard alongside a number of other improvements would total $45,000.

Imhoff emphasized that the borough does not have the capacity to undertake six simultaneous park projects at once, and would likely do two each year until all are up to modern standard.

Legion Park, while not owned by the borough, is maintained by borough staff, Imhoff said.

The borough is planning to apply for a large Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant in the coming year for a Legion Park rehab project, and was not considered during Thursday’s millage discussion.

Wert presented council with a range of millage scenarios designed to raise the required funding over the next three years.

Council member William Kitt asked if Imhoff could rank the six parks by relative need of repair, so the borough could address the most pressing matters first.

According to council member Brady Leahey, not every park with a current play structure necessarily needs a new one, as some parks could benefit from a redesign into another use like pickleball or a dog park.

Council member Walter Kalista III said that creating a hypothetical “Friends of Hollidaysburg Parks” citizens group could help the borough solicit public input on future parks projects and, potentially, some volunteer help for park maintenance.

Kalista also emphasized the need for an overall “strategic plan” to coordinate the direction of the park projects.

Imhoff agreed with Kalista’s recommendation to seek public input on the projects, mentioning a recent round of surveys conducted in the Holliday Hills neighborhood, where residents expressed how important supporting local parks is to their community.

Spreading out the projects over several years would give borough staff time to gather public feedback and craft the updated design for each park.

The council also agreed to a one-time $7,500 contribution to the Hollidaysburg American Legion Ambulance Service drawn from the 2026 general fund budget in light of its recent financial difficulties due to losing its service contract in Martinsburg.

The council will meet to adopt the 2026 borough budget on Dec. 11.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.