Those working within the borough of Emsworth could be paying a little more in local taxes beginning next year.

Emsworth Borough Council voted, at a special meeting on Sept. 23, to implement a local service tax, which will cost anyone working in the borough $26 per year.

The tax will replace the $10 occupational privilege tax that the borough currently has in place, according to council member Paul Getz.

Getz said that the tax will go into effect at the beginning of 2010.

The tax is estimated to bring in an additional $13,000-$19,000 annually, and will affect some 600-900 people, according to council member David Heflin.

Heflin said the borough is $172,000 in the red in the 2010 proposed budget, and officials are looking into ways to make up the deficit.

Heflin said there were a number of reasons for the deficit. He said that costs for sewer maintenance are expected to exceed $500,000 next year, due largely to an increase in work that needs completed to comply with the federal consent order. He noted that this year, the borough brought in just under $300,000 in sewer fees.

Other causes for the deficit, he said, were the cost of the construction of a new sewage pump station, construction of two bridges -- on Herron Street and Gibson Street -- and a $10,000 increase in the borough's contract with Ohio Township for police ser-vices.

Heflin also said that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has sent a notice to Emsworth saying that liquid fuels money, which comes from state taxes on gasoline, that the borough receives will be decreased by 25 percent next year. He noted that last year Emsworth received $47,000.

Officials are expected to discuss also increasing the borough's sewer fees at council's next regular meeting scheduled for Oct. 14.

The tax was authorized at a special meeting, rather than the borough's regular monthly meeting, because officials must make the Department of Community and Economic Development aware of the tax increase by Dec. 1.

Heflin said that had officials waited until their regular meeting, there would have not been enough time for the tax to go through the ordinance process, which he said takes approximately 60 days.

The local services tax was authorized by a 4-2 vote, with council members Getz and Connie Taylor opposed.

Council considered a $52 local services tax, but that was not approved. Four council members -- Getz, Taylor, president Maria West and Ed Polytillo -- were opposed. Heflin and council member Amy Adams voted for the $52 tax.

Getz said that council could consider increasing the tax to a total of $52 next year.

Council member Rob Bennett was absent.