ALLENTOWN, Pa. — City lawmakers are set to reconsider raising property taxes and lowering a planned hike in trash fees, just two weeks after rejecting the same compromise when it was proposed by Mayor Matt Tuerk.
The mayor in October proposed a 3.96% property tax raise coupled with a $135 per-unit increase in trash-collection costs related to Allentown’s new contract with J.P. Mascaro and Sons.
Council is scheduled to vote on the 2026 budget at its meeting Wednesday, Dec. 10.Allentown City Council agenda
Three council members — Ed Zucal, Ce-Ce Gerlach and Natalie Santos — immediately opposed Tuerk’s proposal, which was doomed when Councilwoman Cynthia Mota came out against it in her Election Night victory speech.
Council voted 5-2 on Nov. 20 to reject Tuerk’s tax increase and instead borrow $1.5 million to fill that funding gap in the city’s 2026 budget.
That vote came after members opted against Tuerk’s counteroffer to cut the impending trash-fee increase $25 while maintaining the 3.96% property tax increase.
The mayor said that would shift more of the overall burden to wealthier residents and commercial property owners, many of whom would avoid a trash-fee increase because they use private trash services.
He pondered a potential veto for council’s funding scheme after the meeting, when he criticized some members as being “unserious people” who govern “by vibes.”
City Controller Jeff Glazier also criticized the move to borrow more money to cover operating expenses, which shows “council doesn’t have discipline and doesn’t have good financial management skills.”
Council apparently softened stance
It appears council has softened its stance in the wake of those comments, as members spent about an hour last week weighing Tuerk’s Plan B and discussing potential new revenue streams.
City Finance Director Bina Patel said the alternative proposal is a “more balanced approach” than eliminating the property tax increase and preserving the full trash-fee increase, as council looked set to do.
Councilwoman Gerlach said she worries additional tax and trash costs for property owners — whatever they end up being — will be passed on to tenants.
Renters “will pay more,” she said.
Patel noted that no budget proposal from the mayor and council this year has sought to block landlords from passing on additional costs.
Council is scheduled to vote on the 2026 budget at its meeting Wednesday, Dec. 10.
