Take Our Poll: Do Borough Residents Support a Bigger Tax Hike?

In a split vote, Macungie council has agreed last night to reopen the 2012 budget to restore what the borough manager calls the borough's "quality of life."

Included would be the annual Halloween Parade and a full-time police officer.

Additionally, the administrative assistant's position could be restored to full-time with benefits, as could the building coordinator for the Macungie Institute.

But it's going to mean a 2-mil tax hike for residents which translates to paying $192 more in real estate taxes in 2012 than the owner of a home assessed at the average of $67,000 did in 2011. (The assessed value is usually about half of what a house would sell for).

With the budget that was actually passed, the 2011 increase is -- on average -- $45 per year.

With all that in mind: