Montour County commissioners adopt $8 million budget [The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.]

Dec. 28--DANVILLE -- With expenses and revenues both slightly higher than announced earlier, the Montour County commissioners Tuesday adopted a 2012 budget with a real estate tax increase.

The county also will reduce the number of employees and the hours of some employees.

The general fund budget, with expenses of $7.835 million and revenues of $8.045 million, calls for real estate taxes to increase one-tenth of a mill because real estate values are flat. Usually real estate value is up by about 2 percent each year to help balance expenses in the budget, but this year, there hasn't been an increase, according to the commissioners.

The budget contains a reduction from full-time to part-time for a district judge office position. The county will lay off a driver-office assistant in transit. A vacant full-time children and youth homemaker position will not be filled. The county eliminated a web designer position. The designer had been paid with a stipend.

The commissioners also moved Penn State Extension 4-H Director Yvonne Young's salary and benefits to be paid by Penn State. Initially, the commissioners anticipated saving $15,000 on benefits with the move, but it could be less under a new health plan approved by the county.

The county will not fill a part-time seasonal maintenance position.

Employees won't get raises in the coming year.

Real estate taxes will increase from 3.249 mills to 3.349 mills, a $10 increase on a property with an assessed value of $100,000.

The last time the county increased taxes was two years ago. At that time, the commissioners reduced two jobs to part-time and didn't fill a part-time clerk vacancy.

Commissioners Chairman Trevor Finn said expenses, which included them tweaking a new health care program and wages, were up about $24,000.

Finn said revenues were higher than previously announced because the state submitted its share of the district attorney's salary.

Chief Clerk Holly Brandon said the county received $104,552 from the state as its share for the 2009 salary. The state has paid $42,650 as its share of the salary for 2010 but still owes the county for the rest of 2010 and $106,329 as its share for 2011, she said.

The new county health care plan, through Geisinger Health Plan, includes a big risk for the county, Finn said when the tentative budget was approved earlier this month. The county is assuming a $10,000 liability for each person on the plan with the liability capped at $20,000 per family. At that time, he asked county employees to use discretion with their health care coverage. County employees had been covered by the Pennsylvania Counties Health Insurance Purchasing Cooperative.

The commissioners also approved a liquid fuels tax budget with expenses of $689,253 and revenues of $788,983. Commissioner Jerry Ward said the budget appears high because it contains money to be paid for the recently completed Meadowbrook Bridge in Valley Township. He said those funds are "in and out money."

The commissioners approved a transit budget with $410,587 in expenses and $458,205 in revenues.

They also received quotes for an $800,000 tax anticipation note for next year. Low bidder was the Mifflinburg Bank & Trust Co. with an interest rate of 1.19 percent. Other quotes were FNB Bank, 1.25 percent; First Keystone National Bank, 2.05 percent; and M&T Bank, 2.7 percent.

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