Blair faces projected $9m shortfall in 2025 budget plans

HOLLIDAYSBURG – Blair County’s 2025 budget requests total $55.08 million, leaving commissioners to figure out how to reduce a $9 million deficit in light of revenue projections of $46.08 million.

Commissioners on Monday began taking a closer look at and making adjustments to spending requests by departments, offices and other elected officials.

Their efforts, scheduled to resume Wednesday, are expected to continue through mid- to late November, when the county typically presents a tentative budget and sets real estate taxes for 2025.

Concluding Monday afternoon’s budget session, Commissioner Amy Webster acknowledged that “starting off with $9 million in the hole” is scary.

The deficit, as shown in a report offered by Finance Director Lindsay Dempsie, is larger than the comparable $7.75 million deficit projected a year ago when work began on the 2024 budget. And it is also higher than the $8.39 million deficit projected two years ago for the 2023 budget. However, both deficits were later reduced before commissioners turned to balanced budget options.

For 2023, commissioners relied on the county’s fund balance and American Rescue Plan Act appropriation to adopt a budget without an increase in property taxes. For 2024, they balanced the budget by relying on $3.34 million from the county reserve and a 10.37% increase in property taxes.

According to figures provided Monday, county spending for 2024, by the end of the year, is projected to be $1.88 million less than budgeted.

“So we didn’t spend as much as we expected,” Webster noted. “But we still spend more than our income.”

Another factor influencing the 2025 budget will be allocations for wage increases to address complaints about low pay and inequalities.

“We all share the goal of trying to raise wages,” Commissioner Laura Burke said after Monday’s budget session. “But at the same time we are trying to consider these requests.”

Webster suggested that a higher salary could be an option in departments and offices where jobs are combined and money is available.

“Or if they give up some of the things they’re asking for,” Webster said, “because we don’t have the money for what everyone’s asking for.”

In reviewing the sheriff’s office’s requests for the 2025 budget, commissioners withdrew one of two cruise ships projected to cost $120,000 and indicated the matter was subject to further discussion.

They also talked about requesting the staggered purchase of bulletproof vests for deputies, instead of buying 20 in 2025 at a cost of $36,000. Additionally, they discussed the idea of requiring deputies to return vests to the county, rather than the current practice of allowing a deputy to keep a vest after more than a year of employment with the county.

Commissioners also allowed the 2025 budget to continue showing spending of $544,500 for updated computer software that will manage the county’s real estate database at the assessor’s office. However, that proposed purchase comes with a $102,000 annual maintenance agreement, something Commissioner Dave Kessling said he wanted to know more about.

Commissioners reduced a 2025 budget request of $48,000 for outside court reporting services to $30,000 after reviewing that 2024 expenses have totaled $24,000 so far. They also allowed $5,000 for new training and certification of court reports.

When considering a request to change the way the county pays court-appointed attorneys in juvenile and adult courts (from stipends to hourly rates), Burke suggested an hourly rate of $90 that would be equivalent to attorney’s fees. the lawyers in the Children, Youth and Families budget.

But she and her fellow commissioners acknowledged that to calculate budget amounts they need information on the number of hours and cases.

Commissioners also pulled a budgeted amount of $15,000 to replace a courtroom sound system. That expense arose this year when the sound system in Room 3 had to be replaced.

Dempsie told commissioners that if a need for a new sound system is not identified, money could be allocated to the contingency fund in case it is needed.

Commissioners also received numerous requests from offices and departments in need of replacement chairs. While the chairs are currently priced at $200 each, county leaders said efforts are made to purchase them when they are on sale for less.

Mirror staff writer Kay Stephens at 814-946-7456.