Monroe County approves 2018 budget, eyes new courthouse

The Monroe County commissioners will not increase taxes for 2018 and are looking into expanding or building a new courthouse.

“For the sixth year in a row we have not raised taxes,” Chairman John Moyer said.

“Our long-term debt is down considerably and will continue to decrease,” Commissioner John Christie said.

The commissioners approved the 2018 budget in the amount of $103,773,294.

As of Jan. 1, bond principal will be $39.9 million with interest at $8.1 million. The outstanding bond principal was at an all-time high of $72.1 million with interest due in the amount of $27.7 million in 2010.

A resolution was also adopted during the budget meeting setting a reserve of $2.6 million for capital projects.

The commissioners said the reserve is being set aside for future projects. The focus is now on an expansion of the existing courthouse or a new courthouse.

“We have a number of irons in the fire,” Moyer said. “But in the very near future we are due for a significant modification of the courthouse.”

The county has been moving offices into 701 Main St. and will consider making additional moves in the future.

“The less we have to build the less it will cost,” Moyer said. “It will still cost tens of millions. We have positioned the county in such a way that it should have no impact on taxes.”

Moyer said that the county owns quite a few pieces of property around the existing courthouse and that the smartest move will be to hire an architect to look at everything to come up with “the most secure and efficient building at the lowest cost.”

The tax rate will remain at 21.25 mills. Of that, 18.42 is for general purposes and 2.83 is for debt service obligation.

The liquid fuels budget, for bridge repairs and upgrades, was approved at $642,128.

Personnel

Nonunion employees will receive a 3 percent cost of living increase on Jan. 1.

The commissioners approved the hiring of four full-time and two part-time employees for 2018. The new hires include a sheriff’s deputy officer and an administrative assistance in the custody conciliator’s office.

The public defender’s office will get a part-time investigator and the Department of Veterans Affairs will also be hiring a part-time office assistant.

The Prothonotary’s Office will be hiring two full-time temporary data technicians to assist in the transition to a new case management software system. The new system, which is included in the proposed budget, will cost $350,000 and is included in the Capital Reserve Projects Fund budget of $2.6 million.

The case management system will streamline civil court case management and permit e-filing, scanning and quicker, easier access to case records. The new system will consolidate and make for a more efficient workflow in the office.

Wages, overtime and benefits for county employees make up approximately $45 million in yearly expenditures.

The Capital Project’s budget is set at $638,579 for computer and equipment. These funds will be used to continually update the county’s computer hardware and software.

The Capital Reserve Projects Fund budget is $2.6 million and includes repairs to county property and general building maintenance as well as the new case management system. The fund also include $1,252,477 toward the ongoing reassessment project.

The reassessment project is expected to cost the county $6 million and is expected to be complete by 2020.

According to Amy Rosen, director of fiscal affairs for the county, Tyler Technology is paid on a fee-for-service bases, which means that the county is billed monthly for work as it is completed.

Other projects that fall into the Capital Reserve Projects fund include a repair to the water tower roof at the correctional facility, replacing the heat pumps at the courthouse, repairs to parking lot, cooling tower and parking deck at the administrative center as well as other projects.