To local Boy Scouts watching their town council in action Monday night, the passage of Grove City's 2004 budget may not have seemed like a big deal.

But the boys, who were working on merit badges, may have witnessed something close to a phenomenal event.

Council unanimously passed a $12,965,925 budget, which is up about $3 million from this year's budget of $10,311,958.

And to support the spending plan -- here's the phenomenal part -- council again kept property taxes at 4 mills.

It's been that rate for at least 20 years, said Borough Manager Terence Farren.

Council has even lowered taxes in the past, Farren said.

Farren made it clear there isn't any one thing that has kept council from raising taxes. But, he said, the absence of municipal authorities running things separately may be part of the reason council has been able to keep spending in line.

"One body is responsible for all of it -- water, waste water, electric and the general fund, which includes public safety," Farren said. "That provides some flexibility in the way the borough is organized."

He said in no way was he casting a negative light on authority boards, just emphasizing that Grove City is set up differently than some other municipalities are.

At 4 mills, a home assessed at $10,000 would carry a tax bill of $40; assessments are a property's 1970 market value.

Some of the projects council is planning next year include storm-drain and sewer-line repairs and replacements at a cost of about $1.1 million, $160,000 for revitalization and about $50,000 for mowing equipment and tractors for the borough's eight parks.

"Some of it's luck and some of it's Terry keeping us honest and focused," Councilwoman Karen Shaffer said after the meeting. "But there's no way you can go on like that for an infinite amount of time and not increase taxes."

In the future, major renovations -- to the tune of about $6 million -- will be needed at the wastewater-treatment plant to bring it up to current standards.

That project could break council's streak.

"When you do raise taxes, how much will you raise them?" one Scout asked.

"That's a loaded question," answered board President Randy Riddle.