Jan 15, 2026 By Paul Paterra 4 min read

Bentleyville is reopening its 2026 budget, which includes a one-mill tax increase.

If approved, it would be the borough’s first tax increase since 2018.

Council voted unanimously at a special meeting Monday to advertise the reopened spending plan for 2026.

“After we went through everything line item by line item, I think everybody saw what we needed to do and why we needed to do it,” Councilwoman Kim Sacco said Wednesday.

The reopened budget sets expenses and revenues at $1,256,317.51, reflecting an increase of more than $56,000 over the spending plan adopted in December. Millage would be raised from 2.9 to 3.9 mills. The previous budget listed revenues at $1,200,828.45 and expenses at $1,223,028.45.

A house assessed at $100,000 would result in an annual increase of $100 in taxes.

Sacco, who prepared the proposed new budget, explained that the borough has operated at a deficit for four of the last five years, and as she reviewed the approved 2026 budget, determined that the borough would have a large shortfall.

“There just isn’t enough revenue coming in to cover our expenses,” Sacco said. “I think when the prior administration prepared the budget, they were not overestimating expenses and underestimating income. When I started looking at it and seeing the actual figures from the prior years and seeing what they did with the current budget, I knew we were going to have another deficit.”

At Monday’s meeting, Sacco reminded those in attendance that the primary way to raise money is through taxation.

“Our budgets really haven’t been doing what they’re supposed to do,” she said. “We’re not budgeting enough money to pay the expenses that we have. We were going to have to reduce expenses by a lot or increase taxes.”

The revised budget includes an increase in the borough’s contribution to its fire department. In 2018, the borough appropriated $21,000 to the fire department and the adopted 2026 spending plan called for a $22,000 donation. The reopened budget includes $30,000 for the fire department.

“In eight years, we only increased our appropriation by $1,000 and their expenses have gone up astronomically,” Sacco said. “We increased that to $30,000. It’s not a huge increase, but it’s something we could do to help.”

The new budget also includes higher wages for borough personnel, including the secretary, police chief and street supervisor.

A special meeting has been scheduled for Jan. 26 to vote on the new budget, which must be approved by Feb. 15. Newly elected Mayor Adrian Gordon can veto the budget if approved. The veto may be overridden, but five votes are needed for that action.

When contacted Wednesday, Gordon said he was indecisive about how he’ll rule.

“Some of the items on the budget were not thoroughly examined,” he said. “What I see right now is that the community is debtless. We have money in the bank. I’m still undecided as to how I feel about raising (taxes) for the people of this community.”

Sacco said she would be meeting with Gordon next week to review the proposed budget.

Cheryl Gordon, the mayor’s wife, expressed opposition to the reopening of the budget at Monday’s meeting.

“Who are you hurting? You’re hurting the citizens,” she said. “In the last budget that was adopted, there was no increase. Why did you make so many changes? Why did you lower some of the revenue?”

Also at Monday’s meeting, the new mayor expressed dissatisfaction about recent moves that have been taken in the borough since he took office, replacing Tim Jansante.

Gordon questioned solicitor Dennis Makel about the replacement of borough secretary Tammy Stamm before the Jan. 5 reorganization meeting. At that meeting, Danielle Ott was hired as Stamm’s replacement.

“Was the termination of the secretary legally performed in your eyes?” he asked Makel.

Makel said Stamm was not fired; a new person was appointed.

“She really wasn’t terminated – she just wasn’t retained,” Makel said. “There was no motion to retain her.”

Gordon also expressed concern about recently changing the locks on the borough building, not having received keys to an office in the building and whether new council members were able to terminate Stamm before being sworn in at the reorganization meeting. Sacco and Kathy Rakosky are new on council, while Joseph Pidgeon III and Timothy Miller were reelected.

He was told that the new council members had, indeed, been sworn in prior to the reorganization meeting and the only people who are permitted to have keys to that office are the secretary and solicitor.

The mayor expressed frustration that his concerns were not being addressed and his questions unanswered.

“It seems that what I’m commenting on is just not going anywhere,” Gordon said.