No tax increase planned in Monroe County 2019 budget

For the seventh year in a row Monroe County will not be raising taxes.

“We think we will be able to eke out another year without having to raise the millage rate,” said Chairman John Moyer.

The millage rate will remain at 21.25 mills.

The 2019 budget totals $107.8 million, which includes a general fund budget of $62.3 million. The county debt service is at the lowest rate in 14 years, totaling just under $42 million. The debt is expected to decrease to $35 million by the end of 2019.

The county is poised to issue a bond for the renovations/new build for the courthouse in the next few years, which will potentially increase the debt level to the most recent high of $100 million in 2010.

The commissioners have set a limit of $35 million on the courthouse project. The project will not impact the 2019 budget.

The budget includes a 3 percent cost-of-living increase for all nonunion county employees.

The budget is broken down into capital expenditures, which include computers and equipment totals of $590,334. The capital projects fund budget for 2019 is $1.9 million and includes major projects including new court case management system, repairs and replacements to HVAC equipment, paving the administration center parking lot and parking garage maintenance, renovations for moving the coroner’s office off-site and demo of the Sixth Street property and tunnel.

The county expects to receive grants totaling $27.3 million, the bulk of which goes to Health and Human services.

The correctional facility remains the largest departmental expense for the county at $15.6 million, of which only $586,000 comes from grants or other sources. Children and Youth has the second highest proposed budget of $20.4 million, of which $16.4 comes from grants or other sources.

The general governmental expenses are expected to be $17.5 million, more than half of which will be funded through grants or other sources. The judicial departments’ budget is just over $14.6 million, and court related departments are expected to cost the county $11.4 million. Roughly half of these expenses are offset by grants and other programs.

The complete proposed budget can be found at: http://www.monroecountypa.gov/Dept/Commissioners/Documents/2019ProposedBudgetPacket.pdf.