LAWRENCE COUNTY Officials unveil $25 million budget

The biggest increases came from insurance costs.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County commissioners intend to balance the 2003 budget by selling some county property on Pa. Route 65 next year.
Commissioners introduced their $25,128,668 spending plan at a special meeting Wednesday. They are unable to generate any extra revenue through property taxes in 2003 because the county is implementing newly assessed property values. Officials said they had to search for revenue in other areas to cover increased costs.
Sale of land
The 2003 budget has about $950,000 more in expenses than the previous year. Chief Clerk Charleen Micco said they expect to make about $470,000 on the sale of 21 acres of property on Route 65, which is adjacent to Hill View Manor. They also expect to bring in about $80,000 more in real estate tax revenue from new buildings constructed in the county over the last year, she added.
Commissioner Ed Fosnaught, however, criticized fellow commissioners for using the land sale in the county's general fund budget.
"I think selling off assets to cover costs is a bad idea," he said. Fosnaught noted that he is not opposed to selling the property, but he believes the proceeds should be used elsewhere.
Fosnaught also said he believed increases for election workers should be higher than budgeted. Election workers earned $50 for one day's work this year. Next year, the county intends to give judges of elections a $15 increase and other poll workers a $10 increase. Fosnaught said he believed they all should be earning $80 each for a day's work.
Property tax
Commissioners did adjust the county millage to reflect the increased value of property in the county because of reassessment. The total millage this year will be 4.07. One mill is valued at about $2.8 million. Last year, the county's millage was 27.4 and a mill was valued at about $455,000.
County officials said they also intend to take in about 5 percent more in tax revenue this year than last year, something permitted when a community undergoes a reassessment.
Micco said the biggest budget increases came from insurance costs which averaged about 20 percent. This included health care, unemployment and liability insurances, she added.
Health care
The county plans to switch health care providers from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield to Health Assurance for all management and nonunion employees. Micco said the savings is minimal this year, but Health Assurance has promised the county that next year's increase will be no higher than 12 percent. She added that Highmark has indicated its costs could go up as high as 30 percent next year.
Micco said they intend to give lower than normal raises to elected officials. They normally receive a cost of living raise equal to state employees, which is 1.6 percent this year. All will instead receive a flat $500, Micco said.
She noted that the county will be negotiating new contracts with two unions after Dec. 31 and increases for those employees are not known. They have put money aside to cover those increases, she said.
Micco said all equipment purchases were scrapped for next year to help balance the 2003 spending plan. She said individual requests will be considered throughout the year and some equipment may be bought with money left from a bond issue the county is still spending.
The county budget will be on display for 20 days in the commissioners' offices and commissioners will vote on it Dec. 31.