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County’s 2021 budget proposal remains free of tax increase

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette A sparse crowd turned out in person for the Lycoming County Commissioners presentation of the 2021 Budget at the Commissioners' Boardroom Monday.

Lycoming County commissioners made it clear that keeping expenses in check in the coming years will be a big challenge.

The 2021 budget unveiled last week by commissioners may or may not be a perfect example of what the public can expect, county officials said Monday during a town hall.

That spending plan shows a $23 million deficit.

Expenses, expected to increase 12 percent this year, are driven in part by projects that must be started or completed, said Commissioner Rick Mirabito.

Of immediate concern, he and other commissioners noted, are how to cut expenses and find other revenue sources.

Next year’s $133 million spending plan is projected to include no property tax hike.

Mirabito noted the county’s last tax increase came in 2018 when it was raised by 0.75 mills.

That has brought the county an additional $9.6 million over the past three years.

In lieu of raising taxes in coming years, commissioners said measures to consider include the sales of county property such as the Executive Plaza building.

“We need to put more entities under one roof,” Commissioner Scott Metzger said. “We need to get out of bad leases we are in.”

Added Mirabito: “We definitely need to consolidate into the Third Street Plaza.”

Metzger said one of the main concerns is the amount of state and federal revenues coming to the county this year.

“So we have to plan for the worst,” he said, while adding the present budget figures are far from final.

The expenses showing up in the overall 2021 budget include $9 million in bonds and $5 million in Act 13 money. In addition, the county will draw $5 million from its fund balance.

Mussare noted that the county cannot continue to depend on its Act 13 money which is already decreasing from when it first came into play for municipalities and counties where natural gas drilling occurs.

He agreed that sales of county property must be part of the equation in saving tax dollars.

Mirabito noted that the county has strived to save money on personnel, including reducing the number of employees from 552 in 2015 to the present figure of 530.

John Shireman, of Jersey Shore, among the very few people attending the town hall, asked commissioners why they don’t consider freezing wages in the coming budget.

The spending plan call for wage increases of between 1 and 2.5 percent for employees.

Mirabito said he would hate to impose a wage freeze year after year.

“I don’t think anyone is getting rich here,” Mussare said.

Shireman noted the lack of good-paying jobs for many people in the area and the recent closing of Shop-Vac which employed more than 400 people.

Commissioners said they are also looking to develop property across from the landfill, which could bring revenues to the county.

The county-owned White Deer Golf Course, it was noted, had a good year and actually made money.

On another positive note, Metzger said commissioners may have news about more jobs coming to the area.

The budget was considered a bit differently this year.

“We used to have a six-week budget process,” he said. “We condensed it into three weeks.”

Going forward, county officials will put out quarterly reports to better track the dollars, he added.

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