- Lehigh County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed the 2024 county budget
- Some debate remained over the passage of an amendment to raise the legal fees funds for the controller's office
- Taxes remained stable for the fifth straight year
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh County commissioners, in their last meeting before the November election, in which eight candidates face off and Democrats will fight to maintain a 6-3 majority, voted Wednesday to approve a 2024 county budget with no tax increases.
That sends the budget to county executive Phil Armstrong for a signature or potential veto.
It marks the fifth straight year the tax rate has stayed at 3.78 mills, meaning the owner of a property assessed at $250,000 for tax purposes would pay about $945 a year in property taxes.
Projections provided by the county when the budget was first presented show the tax is expected to stay at that rate through 2027.
The county next year is expected to post a loss of about $882,000, the budget shows. But that is a factor of "timing," Lehigh County Chief Fiscal Officer Tim Reeves said last week, urging commissioners to consider that loss alongside a projected $2.2 million profit in 2023.
Lehigh County is expected get a $1.2 million grant this year from the state, boosting the final figures for 2023, Reeves said. But that money will be spent next year on the 2024 election, he said.
Much of that money is passed through funds the county holds only for a short time.
Expenses in the budget this year rose about $8 million, primarily because of salary increases.
Commissioners praise collaboration
"We're looking at five years of balanced budgets," Commissioner Geoff Brace said. "Barring some kind of ship running into us, I think we're going to be in good shape on that."
Lehigh County Chief Financial Officer Tim Reeves also praised the process as collaborative and thanked the staff in the fiscal office.
Commissioner Jeffrey Dutt said he was proud to put the budget forward as part of the finance committee, and praised the county finance department and the hard work to keep a $25 million stabilization fund in the budget for as-needed expenses.
An amendment approved for the budget grants the controller's office an additional $9,990 for legal services, bringing the total on that item to $19,980. That decreases the unassigned ending fund balance by the same amount.
County Controller Mark Pinsley, who is running for re-election and has been in the news recently because of his role in the controversy regarding medical child abuse diagnoses at LVHN, requested the legal fees amendment so the controller's office could use an external solicitor.
Republican county controller candidate Robert E. Smith Jr. voiced disapproval of the amendment as a waste of money, and said he would not use the money in the role if he is elected.
It was added in the prior meeting in a 5-3 vote, with Beitler, Dutt and Pineda dissenting.
'Not going to hold up the whole budget'
Dutt said he was not for the amendment, and encouraged the county executive to take a look at it before signing it, and consider a veto.
"I'm not going to hold up a whole budget for $10,000," Dutt said.
"With the controller's budget, even if they did have their own solicitor or they didn't have their own solicitor and using the county solicitor over the last five or six years, there's not been a penny used from that fund. And in that, why would we double a budget if they don't use it?"
<b>"</b>Between those 2:30 a.m. meetings or whatever it was and now, is a board that works together regardless of party respects each other's opinions, even when they diverge. That's, I think, that's the biggest thing."Lehigh County Commissioner Dan Hartzell
Commissioner Dan Hartzell said, "Between those 2:30 a.m. meetings or whatever it was and now, is a board that works together regardless of party [and] respects each other's opinions, even when they diverge. That's, I think, that's the biggest thing."
The county's home-rule charter requires commissioners to adopt a budget by Oct. 31.
The board also approved an extension to a temporary wage increases to corrections employees who work more than 40 hours a week.
Commissioner Brace noted the administration requested the temporary increase to maintain staffing at county corrections facilities.
