The Altoona City Council held their first meeting on the 2022 budget Monday evening. The people of Altoona can expect not to see any tax raises in the next year. The city manager proposed a $35 million general fund budget for the new year, with a projection to end with a surplus. Due to the pandemic, the council went into 2021’s budget with a lot of unknowns. Vice Mayor, Dave Butterbaugh, says the council felt a lot better about the 2022 budget because of the greater knowledge heading into the new year. A key highlight is the reimbursement of positions that were eliminated due to covid. Those positions include hiring five police officers, a finance director, and an additional role in the mayor’s office.