The city of Erie’s 2025 budget now has Erie City Council’s OK.
But the final $106 million spending plan is slightly different from the budget proposal that Mayor Joe Schember unveiled in November.
Here are some key details about the budget — approved by City Council at its regular meeting on Wednesday night — and what it means for taxpayers.
Garbage, sewer fee hikes
City Council approved the budget with both increases to residents’ refuse and sewer fees. But those increases are slightly less than what Schember originally proposed.
When he presented his budget plan to City Council on Nov. 6, Schember proposed a garbage rate increase that would generate about $812,000 in revenue and boost an average residential customer’s yearly fees by 8%, from $288 to $311, according to city financial figures.
The increase approved by City Council on Wednesday, however, generates about $664,000 in revenue and increases an average residential customer’s annual bill to $307, a 7% increase.
The sewer rate increase initially proposed by Schember, based in part on city budget data from 2023, would have generated about $603,000 in revenue and resulted in a 9% increase taking into account residents’ usage.