Allentown mayor's budget veto finds friends, foes on City Council as veto override vote looms

• At least two members of Allentown City Council support Mayor Matt Tuerk’s latest proposal for a 2% tax increase
• But two other members look set to try to override Tuerk’s veto of the council-approved budget, which didn’t include a tax increase
• Allentown must adopt its budget by Dec. 31

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown could have its 2024 budget in place by Wednesday night — or be back to square one.
Mayor Matt Tuerk recently vetoed the budget passed by Allentown City Council, which scrapped his request to raise more revenues from residents.

Tuerk initially proposed a 6.9% tax increase, but he offered a smaller hike ahead of council’s Nov. 4 meeting. Members rejected his 4.57% tax increase proposal by a 5-2 vote.

The mayor now is urging the city’s legislative body to soften its opposition to any new taxes and consider a 2% increase.

That smaller boost to the city’s revenues would help fund raises within the city’s police department and emergency medical services, which are critical to retaining those workers, Tuerk has said.

But some council members appear poised to push at Wednesday’s council meeting to override Tuerk’s veto and lock in the city’s budget without a tax increase.

Councilman Ed Zucal slammed Tuerk for vetoing council’s budget and saying Allentown’s Fourth of July fireworks and Lights in the Parkway events “are on the line” if taxes are not raised.

Tuerk’s “threat” to cancel events is a “reckless scare tactic by this mayor to attempt to coerce city council into rubber-stamping his budget,” Zucal said.

Veto override vote

Council meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall, with the 2024 budget back on the agenda.

Zucal is expected to call for a vote to override Tuerk’s veto, and Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach said she will support that effort.

She said she’s “surprised” by Tuerk’s veto because she thought council “made a pretty compelling statement as to where we stand” on increasing taxes during its Nov. 4 budget meeting.

Council unanimously passed its tax-increase-free budget Nov. 1 after rejecting a proposed 4.57% tax hike by a 5-2 vote.

Council members Zucal, Gerlach, Daryl Hendricks, Cynthia Mota and Natalie Santos voted against the increase, while Candida Affa and Santo Napoli supported it.

That same vote would be enough to override Tuerk’s veto, but it is unclear whether Hendricks, Mota and Santos are open to Tuerk’s proposed 2% increase. They did not respond to LehighValleyNews.com’s questions.

Affa and Napoli said they support Tuerk’s latest request for a 2% tax increase.

But Gerlach said she expects her other colleagues will stand firm Wednesday and reject any new taxes.

“I’m confident people will stand by their convictions and the people of Allentown,” Gerlach said.

“I think we all clearly understand the struggle that people are going through. The five of us don’t always agree on other issues. The fact that we agree on this issue just shows how the struggle of Allentown residents crosses political divides.”

Zucal said he also “anticipates council holding united and overriding the mayor’s veto.”

The veto-override measure will fail if Hendricks, Mota or Santos vote against it. That would keep Tuerk’s veto in place, leaving the city without a budget for next year and sending officials back to the drawing board.

Allentown must adopt its budget by Dec. 31.

‘Put your big-boy pants on’

Napoli said he was disappointed that Zucal and Gerlach have spoken out against Tuerk’s latest proposal before Wednesday’s meeting, where Tuerk again will make his case for a tax increase.

“If they decide they don't want to listen, I'll go on record and say I'm very disappointed in the fact that they won't even give the opportunity to the administration,” he said.

“It’s disappointing … that some of my colleagues don’t even want to listen to what he’s proposing."

Meanwhile, Affa called on other council members “to put your big-boy pants on and negotiate like adults.”

“If the mayor is coming down from 7 percent o 2 percent, you might want to pay attention to that,” she said.

Affa said she thinks Council President Daryl Hendricks “has an open mind” and could support Tuerk’s proposed 2% tax increase, but she’s not confident any other members will vote for it.

“It's possible for him to change his vote, but that would only be three,” Affa said. “Then it’s a 4-3 vote, and we start from square one again, which is a shame."

“It doesn't look good” for Tuerk’s latest proposal, Affa said. “And I’m upset because I think the mayor did his due diligence by dropping and dropping" his request.

'No one wants to pay more taxes'

Napoli said he was “not surprised” Tuerk vetoed council’s budget.

“Looking at the numbers, and the challenges that we face as a city with funding and with how to deliver city services, I mean, I'm not surprised,” he said.

“We can't sustain ourselves without increasing some of our revenue.”

Affa and Napoli both pointed to Controller Jeff Glazier’s comments during council’s Nov. 1 budget meeting, during which he said Tuerk would have to cut about $3 million in expenses to balance his budget without a tax increase.

Glazier emphasized to members “how important basic city services are to what people feel about their government," a sentiment Napoli echoed.

“The crux of this whole … tax increase was to continue delivering services to the folks in need,” Napoli said. “And I just don't understand how we can argue with that.”

“No one wants to pay more taxes. I don't want to pay more taxes,” Napoli said. “But to sustain the city and to continue delivering services the way people expect, there’s no way around it.”

Napoli said Tuerk’s proposed 2% tax raise equates to about a $1-per-month increase on the owner of a $90,000 rowhome or about twice that amount for the owner of a $140,000 home in Hamilton Park.

“These are numbers that are not going to make or break anyone,” he said.