In a five-minute meeting Tuesday, Greenville council members adopted a proposed 2010 budget of $2,980,097.

Property taxes will stay at 31.5 mills and council President Pete Longiotti advised several newly elected council members in attendance to study the budget so they “know what’s coming.”

Greenville has the highest property tax rates in Mercer County and council members have proposed keeping earned income tax rates above the state standard of 1 percent.

Borough officials will have to get court permission to keep those taxes at their current rates of 1.65 percent for residents and 1.42 percent for non-residents.

Greenville is allowed to ask for higher earned income tax rates because of its Act 47 status as a financially distressed community. Greenville has been in the state’s debt recovery plan since 2002.

The court hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 10 before Mercer County Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas R. Dobson, Longiotti said.

Council members also agreed to advertise a 3 percent increase for sewer rates to coincide with a proposed 3 percent hike for water rates in 2010.

Council member Dr. Henry M. Mueller and council vice president Pamela S. Auchter were absent.

The borough’s new public services director, Scott Graubard, formerly of the Cayman Islands, was introduced. The newly-created position oversees the public works and sewer departments and future duties may include some management of area recreation, council members have said.

After the meeting, Longiotti said there are at least 12 applications for borough manager and the deadline to submit one is Dec. 9.

Ryan T. Eggleston’s last day on the job was Nov. 6 and he now works as city manager of Oil City. He was Greenville’s borough manager since June 2006.

Longiotti, whose term ends Dec. 31, said his last budget as a council member is balanced but it was hard to work out.

“We had to reduce a lot of expenses,” said Longiotti, who’s been on council since 2002. He didn’t seek re-election this year.

A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of a home’s assessed value. Assessments are the 1970 market value. At 31.5 mills, a home assessed at $15,000 carries a property tax bill of $473. One mill brings the borough about $36,800.