The Schuylkill County commissioners presented their 2013 preliminary budget Wednesday, avoiding a tax increase for the ninth consecutive year despite a $2 million shortfall.
"It is certainly a privilege and a pleasure to adopt a preliminary budget for the ninth consecutive year that reflects no tax increase for our constituents and residents of Schuylkill County. There are not many counties in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania that can say that," commissioners Chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier said. "We challenge our employees every single year and to say that we are doing this for the ninth consecutive year is phenomenal. We are not reducing anything but we continue to operate in the most efficient way we know how and I want to publicly thank every one of our employees at the county for doing that for the ninth consecutive year."
The preliminary budget has an expected expenditure of $47,692,177 from the county general fund and a revenue of $45,435,692. The $2,256,485 shortfall will be paid with the unassigned funds in the county general fund, which consists of 61 percent real estate taxes, 18 percent service charges, 1 per percent per capita taxes, 7 percent federal and state grants, and 13 percent other revenues.
The 2013 fund revenue is only $73,429 more than the 2012 original budget, which had an expenditure of $47,989,064.
County taxes will remain at 11.98 mills, with 11.42 mills still being used for general purposes and 0.56 mills for debt purposes. Per capita tax will also remain at $5.
"The option to raise taxes, although the quickest remedy to solvency, is again not a viable preference in these uncertain economic times," County Administrator Mark Scarbinsky said.
He said the county's strategy over the past three years can be used to balance the budget. He said that strategy includes: maintaining a hiring freeze except for critical positions, closely scrutinizing travel requests, eliminating and consolidating positions preferably through attrition, considering employee furloughs in non-critical positions, using more part-time employees and potentially outsourcing specific job functions.
Finalization of the 2013 budget is scheduled for Dec. 19.
Presentation of the preliminary budget came the same day the board of commissioners authorized the ordinance issuing a general obligation bond of $21,175,000 to finance several infrastructure improvements. These projects include: upgrading the county's public safety communications network to narrowband frequencies mandated by the Federal Communications Commission, a new roof on the county jail, possibly the purchase of a building for the human services complex, and additional projects.
In other news, the board awarded a contract for a stormwater and sewer replacement project on Newtown Road in West Mahanoy Township for $33,910. This is a 2011 Community Development Block Grant project.
The board also approved four terminations of part-time nurse's aides at Rest Haven. They were Brandie Hamilton, Pottsville, Kristi Burke, Port Carbon, Matthew Beene, Pottsville, and Amanda Mosolino, Pottsville. The board also accepted the retirement of Judith Purcell, Minersville, as full-time registered nurse, and the appointment of Angelique McGlinchey, Tamaqua, as part-time licensed practical nurse.
According to the county retirement board report, Schuylkill County's retirement fund had a total market value of $104,142,316 on Oct. 31, down from $105,730,019 on Sept. 30.