HUGHESVILLE - Borough council passed the first reading and advertisement of the 2013 budget with no tax hike Monday night.
The total income and expenses equals $804,920, down from this year's budget of $831,900, Mayor Walter Reed said.
"We had to (decrease this year's budget,)" Reed said. "There was less on the income side. We had to make it work."
The budget was balanced by the council successfully managing money by reducing cuts over the years, Councilman Richard Smith said.
Health care costs rose 5 percent for the 2013 budget.
The police expenses for the 2013 budget are $216,058.
None of the Act 13 impact fee money was worked into the budget, as it will be kept into a separate account while the council reviews what it can do with the money.
The borough received just over $19,000 this month for Act 13 funds. More money is expected to come in the future. The money received will change annually.
In other business, council passed an ordinance that will prohibit the use of tobacco in public places, which includes borough property and parks, Reed said. Councilman Andrew Mook voted against the ordinance.
Police Chief Jason Gill spoke about revamping a youth commission program to allow first-time offenders to pay a fine and do community service to avoid having a mark on their records.
He wanted to bring it back to "keep kids out of the system that made a mistake," he said.
Community service could include making the wrong-doers fix what they did, such as sanding tables they graffitied or cleaning cars they egged, he gave as examples. He also said it would be possible to have them shovel parts of the borough when the snow starts falling.
If the offenders fail to follow through with their appointed tasks, they will be kicked out of the system and placed into the juvenile detention center.
Hughesville is one of the only municipalities in the area without a youth commission system. Jersey Shore has a similar system in place and Gill said it has a 90 percent success rate.
