A balanced budget of $123,254,342 which carries with a .5 mill increase in real estate taxes was approved by the Lycoming County Commissioners at their meeting this week.

This includes an operating budget of $115,978.442 and a capital budget of $7,275,900.

The budget had been on public display for 20 days for review following a thorough comment and review process, according to Mya Toon, the county’s director of financial management. No revisions had been made to the proposed budget since it was first introduced.

The .5 mill increase – the first in eight years- means that county property owners will pay $.50 more for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. It brings the county’s tax rate to 7 mills.

“When you think about that, no one ever wants to raise taxes,” said Commissioner Scott Metzger.

“But you can see the situations across the state. It’s not just Lycoming County. Across the state has experienced this,” he added.

He pointed out that the county relies on property taxes and that there is only a limited amount of that available. Beyond that the county has received money from the state and federal governments, but much of that is not available any more.

“As they dry up, those expenses come to the county. We have to make a determination whether we continue with those programs-with those employees that were funded by the state or the feds. We have to make those hard decisions,” Metzger said.

The total 2026 budget reflects a 4.24 percent or $5,452,008 decrease from the 2025 budget.

The financial management team will continue to be prudent in the upcoming budget period and continue to examine expenses with a critical eye,” Toon said.

“We will begin to implement long term integrated financial planning inclusive of budget reduction strategies and strategic planning. With this mindset and process I feel confident the county will continue to move financially forward and make great strides improving our budget process and long term budget outlook,” she said.

In conjunction with passing the budget, the commissioners approved resolutions setting the real estate tax rate at 7 mills; the county’s predetermined ratio for real estate tax assessment; and the 2026 table of distribution and authorizations (TDA).

In other actions the commissioners and Controller Nikki Gottschall, in their role as Salary Board, approved the following in the Courts: removing a full-time law clerk position from the TDA; adding a temporary part-time law clerk position to the TDA to be reevaluated in two years; remove a full-time court reporter position from the TDA; and add two temporary part-time court reporter positions to the TDA to be re-evaluated in two years.

In the Department of Public Safety, the Salary Board approved a new telecommuter pay scale.

Under personnel, the board approved the following: Tyler Fetterman, Clinton Frackman, Adam Malek, Brian Pfleegor, Megan Strassner, and Igasha Brown as full-time Telecommunicators II in the Public Safety Department at a rate of $23 per hour; Quentin Ferguson as a full-time correctional officer at the Prison, a union position, at $20 per hour; Brittany Mitchell and Aminah Woodruff as, full-time telecommunicator Trainees in Public Safety at $20 per hour.

Other action items approved were: ratification of the Resolution 2025-30 Tax Anticipation and Revenue Note, series 2026; an agreement with Kenneth Davis to provide polygraph services to the Public Defenders Office, not to exceed $10,000; an agreement with Akaga Campbell for mitigation services for the Public Defenders Office, at $75 per hour; the Adult Probation Office grant-in-aid application with the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency; an agreement to renew the contract with Keystone Communications LLC in the amount of $20,301; the liquid fuels grant award for Old Lycoming Township South Cottage Avenue project in the amount of $125,221; and the second amendment to an agreement with Stahl Sheaffer Engineering to clarify the proposal for the US 220 safety impact study.

Three subrecipient agreements extending the completion dates were approved. They included ones with the West Branch Regional Authority; the Lycoming County Water and Sewer Authority and the Montoursville Borough. All three involved American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Professional and Administrative Services agreement amendments with the SEDA-Council of Government for were approved. The amount was $113,100 for fiscal year 2024 and $107,200 for fiscal year 23.

William J. Klein and Stephen Brady were reappointed to the Lycoming County Zoning Board; Jeffrey Bower to the Industrial Development Authority; and Mile Philbin, William Henry, Donald Konkle and Nicholas Ring to the Lycoming County Water and Sewer Authority.

The next Commissioners’ public meeting will be at 10 a.m. Jan. 8, in the Commissioners’ Board Room, 3rd floor, Third Street Plaza, 33 West Third St.

Since there will be no meeting on Dec. 25 or Jan., the commissioners indicated that they may hold a special meeting before January which will be advertised in the Sun-Gazette legal notices.