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In the fall, the commissioners' thoughts turn to budgets and, according to Lycoming County Commissioner Marc Sortman's report at this week's meeting, the news surrounding the budget is both good and bad.
The bad news is that, although the county is roughly 72 percent into the financial year, some of the county departments have used 90 percent of their budget for the year.
"We've asked all of our employees to be very cautious of spending throughout the rest of the year, so that we're sure to finish this year at a break even," he said.
The county will need to do a Tax and Revenue Anticipation Note (TRAN) which borrows against expected tax revenue. That will carry the county until March when tax dollars come in, Sortman said.
Sortman also noted that if the county did nothing until the end of the year, they would still end up with a $7 million deficit because of some Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) monies that have been delayed as well as money from the sale of a property in the southern portion of the county that was to have been completed by now. Those two items would add up to the $7 million, Sortman said.
"I did want to share with everybody, we are still technically until this other money comes in, out of money," he said.
But the good news is that for the first time in many years, Sortman said, the county is kind of breaking even.
"Which is where you want to be," he said.
"I don't know that we're ever going to be in a spot where we're banking millions of dollars a year, but we're at a spot where we're breaking even and we have our previous debt paid," he said, referring to the TRAN for this year's taxes.
He praised employees for reducing expenditures this year but also stated that they will be asked to make additional reductions for 2027.
Commissioner Scott Metzger pointed out that one of the frustrating parts of government is when grants for projects aren't received in a timely manner.
He cited a grant for the levee project which had been due for a long time and the work had been completed. It took the intervention of a federal elected official to finally resolve the issue and the county can be reimbursed for the work done.
"So, these are some of the challenges we face when it comes to getting federal and state grants," Metzger said.
Referring to the budget, Metzger said that the commissioners have made a lot of cuts in the last two years, always looking for ways to save money while providing the resources that are necessary.
"We're not going to cut things that are going to endanger public safety or put people at risk, but at the same time, we're going to eliminate waste and things that are redundant," Metzger said.
"These three commissioners don't have all the answers-we don't pretend to. We're transparent. We want to hear from the public. We want to hear from our staff and they're the ones doing the work. We're always open to hear suggestions and see how we can operate better," he said.
Commissioner Mark Mussina conceded that budget season is the toughest time of year for county government because you have to sit down and tell people "we don't have the money we used to have."
"Trying to find ways to provide the services we need and just streamline the process," he said.
He said that budget season is a "time when you don't get to deliver a lot of great news."
In other business, the commissioners approved: a Larson Design Group change order for a small local bridge inspection program in the amount of $4,108 which was necessitated by the addition of two bridges, to be paid from liquid fuels grant funds; amendment #1 to the professional & administrative services agreement to expand the scope of the Route 54 sewer lateral project to include income eligibility to be paid through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from federal fiscal year 2025; amendment to the professional & administrative services agreement for CDBG federal fiscal year 2024 approved budgeted funds to remove Life Lycoming and move it to the park loop project; the CDBG federal fiscal year 2025 subrecipient agreement with West Branch Regional Authority in the amount of $30,000; an interagency agreement amendment with Lycoming County Department of Public Safety in the amount of $103,928 for the flood warning system, to be paid out of ARPA funds; an amendment to the agreement with Cogan House Pest Solutions in the amount of $485 per month to be paid out of Resource Management Services' operating expenses; and an amendment to an agreement with the PA Department of Agriculture extending the term to Sept. 30, 2027.
The next commissioners' meeting will be at 10 a.m., Oct. 1 in the Commissioners' Board Room, 3rd floor, Third Street Plaza, 33 W. Third St.