JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - Westmont Borough Council unanimously approved a $2.9 million budget Tuesday with no tax increase for 2025.

The budget also retains Cambria County Transit Authority bus service in Westmont by committing the borough to a $12,773 local share of CamTran's operational expenses.

The local share for CamTran services was an expense initially questioned by the council's members as they formed the budget.

However, CamTran Executive Director Rose Lucey-Noll presented the council with a survey Tuesday including statements from Westmont riders about the importance of the bus system for their travel to work, medical appointments and shopping.

After deliberating on the expense Tuesday, the council approved sending a letter of commitment to CamTran for the local share.

Council members Marc McCall, Don Hall, Christopher DelSignore, Timothy McIlwain, Chad Miller and Anthony Berkebile approved the measure; Councilman and financial committee chairman Bill Stasko voted against it, saying CamTran increases the borough's local share each year while only a very small percentage of people use the bus service in the borough.

CamTran has 19 municipal partners that pay local shares for service based on population and miles in the locality. Each local share is also matched by the state government. The largest local share for CamTran - $900,000 - is paid by Cambria County, which pulls down a match of $9 million from the state.

The $12,773 local share from Westmont Borough Council secures a $101,000 match from the state government for CamTran services, Lucey-Noll said.

CamTran provides more than 800,000 rides a year across the county, she said.

If the Westmont council hadn't supported its local match, then CamTran would have permanently lost that state match of more than $100,000 to another community in Pennsylvania, Lucey-Noll said.

"It's good news for riders," she said after the Westmont Borough council meeting.