No tax hike as Elizabeth introduces budget proposal

Council also approved engineering plans for the Riverwalk project.

Elizabeth council approved a motion Tuesday to advertise a tentative budget for 2026.

Taxes will hold steady in the proposed budget, continuing a practice that has lasted for several years.

“We are looking at a proposed tentative budget with no tax increase for the 2026 year,” Borough Manager Scott Craighead said. “We put it on tonight just in case we want to advertise it for more than 30 days, so we can get that finalized by the end of the November meeting.”

The budget is expected to be approved in the next month or so, according to council President Tim Guffey. Mayor Barry Boucher asked if there is a timeline to get this budget approved or if they’ll need a special meeting.

Craighead said they haven’t had a special meeting in the last few years. Boucher was worried they would have to approve a budget in early December, but they can approve the budget earlier than that.

“Last year we presented a tentative budget that had a millage increase, but we pretty much knew that we were going to work that out,” Craighead said. “We can approve it in November or December. I put it on tonight as tentative because if we wanted to advertise before the November meeting, we could do that.”

Also Tuesday, council approved plans for the Riverwalk project, which were presented by LSSE Civil Engineers last month.

This project will be an ADA-compliant walking trail next to the Monongahela River in the borough. The six-foot-wide path will bring more people, boat traffic and business to the borough, according to Craighead, after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers works on the borough’s barge.

Craighead added last month that this project will start in the spring, and will be done in multiple phases, with a price tag projected around $1.5 million total.

“Some of the thought is people come down there to do walking and things, maybe bring some boat traffic in,” Craighead said. “There’s a lot of talk about not enough parking being available in Elizabeth Borough. Unless we are having a large event, we still figure it out. We will look to increase parking.”

In other business:

• Chief Ken Honick said the police department is looking forward to interacting with the community on Halloween. Officers will hand out candy and make sure people are safe.

• The borough’s light-up night will be Nov. 23.