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October 31, 2012

County budget's imbalance totals a half million dollars

By Keith Gushard Meadville Tribune

MEADVILLE — Crawford County’s proposed 2013 general fund budget would require a half-mill increase in county real estate taxes to balance it — but county commissioners hope to present a final spending plan that does not need a tax increase.

The proposed 2013 general operating budget presented at Tuesday’s commissioners work session shows expenses of $36,621,989, but with projected revenue at $36,108,006 — making it $513,983 out of balance.

One mill of real estate tax is equal to approximately $1 million in revenue for the county, according to Jody Marley, the county’s chief financial officer.

If no changes are made to the proposed budget, county property taxes would need to be hiked by a half-mill to balance it.

A half-mill increase would mean county property taxes on a property with a median assessed value of $24,000 would rise by $12 a year — going from the current $452.40 to $464.40 a year.

Most of the $500,000 imbalance for the 2013 budget is due to asset requests by departments, said Jody Marley, the county’s chief financial officer.

The 2013 county budget is the first budget for the new board of commissioners  — Francis Weiderspahn Jr., C. Sherman Allen and Jack Lynch — who took office in January.

During the past few weeks, county commissioners and Marley met with each department head to review their individual budgets.

The board hopes to have no tax increase for 2013, but commissioners point out there had been no emphasis on any kind of capital expenditures or planned maintenance in previous county budgets.

“If you needed a computer, you’d put it in (the budget) and it would be taken out,” Lynch said of previous budgets. “Then you may or may not get it depending if that computer broke.”

Some of the capital request in the 2013 budget are for projects within departments that started this year because of the departments having money available in their budgets, Marley said.

“We’re trying to spread everything out so we’re not being hit with everything (at once) — but keep it as a continuous improvement plan for the county,” Marley said of the capital requests.

While county commissioners expect to give the budget preliminary approval at Thursday’s meeting, commissioners stressed work on the 2013 budget is far from done.

“It will change because it has to balance,” said Weiderspahn, chairman of county commissioners.

Once given preliminary approval, the proposed budget will be available for public inspection at the public libraries in both Meadville and Titusville as well as the commissioners’ office at the courthouse in Meadville.

The budget also is expected to be posted on Crawford County’s website.

County commissioners propose to give final approval to the county’s 2013 budget at their Dec. 6 meeting.

Under Pennsylvania law, a county must approve a balanced budget by each Dec. 31 for use the following year.

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