Kudos to Valley leaders who seem to be doing a good job in holding the line on budgets.
As 2022 ticks ever closer to its end, it is encouraging to see regular headlines in recent weeks regarding budgets and a growing number nearing completion without tax increases.
All four sets of county commissioners across the Valley were able to approve preliminary spending plans without tax increases in recent weeks; final budgets are due by the end of the year. In Northumberland County, commissioners were able to trim more than $3 million from the budget, while still offering raises to county employees. In Union County, the sale of final parcels at Great Stream Commons means a break for taxpayers there with more than $1 million off last year’s spending plan.
The financial wrangling comes when many taxpayers who foot the bills for these multi-million dollar budgets are struggling with rising costs of everything from gas and home heating oil to food.
“We work very hard to make that happen because we know people are struggling,” Northumberland County Commissioner Chair Sam Schiccatano said. “We hope to ease that burden by not increasing taxes again.”
In Montour County, which has a much smaller budget than neighboring Northumberland County, Commissioner Ken Holdren said it is “important to protect our taxpayers by using some of our operating reserves that we have accumulated over the years.”
Balancing these books cannot be easy at any time, particularly now with a growing number of financial challenges. There is some legitimate concern regarding the long-term impact. What will happen a year from now, five years from now?
That is one of the concerns for Snyder County Chief Clerk Tony Phillips. During budget talks last month, he noted that salary reimbursements were partly funded by about $6 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
“The tricky thing is it looks better than it is,” said Phillips.
The budgets are open for the public to view until the final passage later this month. They can be seen in county offices or online on all of the county websites.
Budget projections will always remain a moving target, the reason they are called “projections.” But for now, taxpayers can rest easy that unless changes occur in the waning days of the year, their tax bill should remain the same in 2023.
NOTE: Opinions expressed in The Daily Item’s editorials are the consensus of the publisher, top newsroom executives and community members of the editorial board. Today’s was written by Editor William Bowman.
