Venango County commissioners unanimously approved a tentative 2022 county budget Tuesday that doesn’t include a tax increase.
The tax rate will remain at six mills. Venango County hasn’t raised taxes since 2013.
The total revenue for 2022 is projected to be $58,713,927, a small increase from this year, according to a budget handout that was presented Tuesday at the commissioners meeting.
Diona Brick, the county’s chief financial officer, said the reason total projected expenses and total projected revenues aren’t the same is because the county saves up some funds over several years to cover larger projects such as bridge repairs.
The county’s general fund budget, excluding Human Services, is projected to be $20,606,408, about 34% of the entire budget expenses.
About 56% of the general fund budget is funded through tax revenue. The budgeted tax revenue for 2022 is $11,519,800.
Both projected state and federal revenues have decreased slightly for 2022, Brick said.
She added that salaries for county employees have increased over this year due to afforded increases and contract requirements. She noted that changes to the number of employees directly affect the salary numbers.
Commissioners are also in the process of negotiating a decrease to the county employees’ health insurance premium for 2022, Brick said.
Brick said the county’s contribution to the pension plan is fully funded in the 2022 budget. The county currently has no debt.
The county tax base is assessed at $2.037 billion, which results in gross billings of about $14 million.
There are about 36,000 taxable parcels in Venango County.
The county offers a homestead exemption of $10,000 for all who apply and qualify for the exemption. There are about 14,700 property owners who qualify.
The median value of a parcel in Venango County was estimated at $56,402, and the county’s annual real estate taxes for an average home were estimated at about $338.
Commissioner Mike Dulaney noted that revenue has increased by 0.2% and expenses have decreased by 0.3% in the tentative budget.
He gave several reasons for the revenue increase — fewer delinquent taxes, some properties being reassessed and an increase in the revenue coming in from realty transfer taxes due to so many houses in the county being sold.
“Revenue is going up. People are improving their properties, paying their taxes and investing in the area,” Dulaney said.
“We are doing very well,” Dulaney said. “We were able to afford increases in workers’ salaries and fix the county buildings while still socking money away in savings for the second year in a row after they were threatening a tax increase,” he added.
Dulaney said that over the past year the county has made a number of capital improvements to its buildings, including new roofs on most buildings, including the Human Services complex, as well as replacing some boilers and getting a new chiller for the jail.
In many cases, “a lot of it comes down to not taking the first answer,” Dulaney said.
The commissioners also keep tabs on spending, according to Dulaney.
“When we get a request, we have Diona (Brick) run the numbers for us,” Dulaney said.
Commissioner Albert Abramovic wasn’t present at Tuesday’s meeting because he was attending a conference in Washington D.C., Dulaney said.
The tentative budget will be on display on the county website and in the commissioners office in the Courthouse Annex during the coming month until the next commissioners meeting on Dec. 14. Final budget approval is expected at that meeting.
Breene encouraged anyone to take a look at the budget and “if you have concerns, questions or comments get a hold of us.”
