ZELIENOPLE — A member of the borough police department was promoted Monday.

Sgt. Kevin Mikulan was given the oath of office and sworn in to the sergeant position by Mayor Tom Oliverio during a meeting of borough council.

According to Chief Jim Miller, the department now has two sergeants, who each oversee shifts by patrolmen.

Several officers were on hand Monday as Mikulan took the oath. Mikulan thanked council for the opportunity, and said he enjoys working with the department and in the borough.

Also Monday, council unanimously voted to approve the budget and income tax rate for 2019. According to Don Pepe, borough manager, no public comment was received during the required legal posting of the tentative budget.

The budget is $10,909,697 and features no tax increases. The budget includes the general, fire, library, water, electric and Highway 8 funds.

The budget reflects a 1.48 percent spending increase over 2018. The majority of the expense is in personnel, particularly in the general, electric and water funds.

The property tax rate will stay the same at 1.81 mills. Additionally, recreation is 1 mill, fire is 2 mills and the library is 1 mill for a total of 5.8 mills.

The capital improvement fund accounts for several projects, including a $35,000 project at the Community Park. With work at the pool and skatepark wrapping up, officials wanted to make sure the stream that runs through the park would not cause problems.

Additionally, the borough's automated metering system will add $58,000 to the 2019 budget, although it is a recurring payment through 2023.

In the event of an emergency, the electric reserve fund has $500,000, while the water reserve fund carries $250,000.

Council thanked Pepe and his staff for creating the budget, with Pepe replying it is a team effort.