MARS — Borough council approved the 2024 budget Monday, Dec. 18, including a 4 mill tax increase beginning Jan. 1.

“It’s just the overall increased cost to do business,” Mayor Gregg Hartung said. “It’s like everything else we’re experiencing — it’s rising costs.”

The increase includes a general fund increase of 3 mills — from 18.83 mills to 21.83 mills — a fire tax increase for Adams Area Fire District of .5 mills — from 1.5 mills to 2 mills — and the introduction of an ambulance tax at .5 mills for Quality EMS.

“EMS needs more support,” Hartung said. “And for the fire, we have a contract with them to incrementally bring the tax up every year slightly.”

The budget and the increases passed 5-1. Councilor Brad Price was the only dissenting vote. Councilor Christine Clutter was absent.

Price said he specifically voted against the general fund increase.

“I’d like to add that I support the fire department tax and the ambulance tax increase,” Price said of his vote.

“Most of our peer municipalities around us — Adams Township, Seven Fields, Cranberry Township, Middlesex, even the city of Butler — nobody raised their taxes for the year,” he said.

The borough has also raised its water fees by about 9%, according to Price.

“Those are my two big considerations,” he said.

The approved budget anticipates a surplus of $21,521, with an anticipated $1,536,228 in revenue next year outpacing $1,514,707 in expenses.

“There was talk of paving with the surplus and a couple of other things, but because there wasn’t any certainty on that, we’ll have to wait until next year,” Hartung said. “Right now, it’s just general reserve.”

Capital improvement projects for the year include an ongoing effort to connect the Mars Borough Water Department and the Municipal Water Authority of Adams Township, according to Hartung.

“It’s to supplement each other if something would go wrong,” he said.

Hartung told council Monday that NASA officials will join local schools Feb. 8 for a robotics-student breakfast.

The event follows the borough’s 2023 Mars New Year Festival, recognizing the red planet’s trip around the sun every two years.

“We’re going to do a series of small events like this leading up to the next Mars New Year,” Hartung said, “so we have more interaction with the community and so people don’t forget about it.”

Held at the Regional Learning Alliance, or RLA, in Cranberry Township, according to Hartung, the breakfast will feature Astrobotics, the Pittsburgh-based aerospace company, as well as former chief NASA scientist Jim Green.

“We’ll have at least 12 or 15 school districts, and we’re guessing 200 students — which will max the place out,” he said. “The RLA is actually donating the space for us, Armstrong and Butler County Tourism is going to pay for the continental breakfast and Jim Green is doing it for free.”

For more information on the event, contact Jeff Beckstead of the Mars Robotics Association at info@marsroboticsassociation.org.