Greene budget for 2003 contains no tax increase
WAYNESBURG – The Greene County commissioners are set to approve the county’s proposed 2003 unified budget today, saying they will not raise property taxes in this reassessment year. Budget director Scott Kelley outlined the budget Wednesday during the commissioners’ agenda meeting.
Kelley said the $10.8 million general fund budget represents a $566,000 increase over this year’s, although spending has actually decreased about $300,000. He noted the general fund now includes the HOME grant of about $500,000, while the county placed about $366,000 into the pension fund to make up for investment losses during a weak stock market.
He said the taxes for 2003 would compare to the 2002 taxes “per the commissioners’ decision to not increase taxes as a result of reassessment.”
However, the millage rate will look different due to a change in the market value ratio from 30 percent of assessed value to 100 percent. The preliminary millage rate is 5.42 mills, compared to the current rate of 23.71 mills. The result is revenue neutral at about $7.5 million realized for 2002 and projected for 2003.
He said county officials worked hard to balance the budget and cut about $571,000 worth of expenses as they prepared the spending plan.
The general fund budget, added to other of the county’s funds, amounts to a unified budget of $23.39 million.
The unified budget includes a liquid fuels fund of $1.2 million, a Community Development Block Grant of $262,000, children and youth fund of $2.47 million, drug and alcohol fund of $511,497, core HSD programs fund of $2.47 million and mental health/mental retardation fund of $5.66 million.
Kelley addressed a summary of the proposed budget but said a comprehensive report is available for public review.
Related to reassessment and tax revenue, county solicitor David Hook asked the commissioners to place on today’s agenda a vote to authorize the court appeal that was recently filed on the county’s behalf against the value of Allegheny Energy’s Hatfield’s Ferry power plant.
The latest in the legal wrangling over the taxable value of Hatfield’s Ferry leaves the plant valued at $8.2 million, compared to a previous $81 million.
Hook said he has compiled some data on similar power plants in Pennsylvania that shows a wide disparity in the values. He quoted $300 million for a power plant in Delaware County, $65 million for a plant in Armstrong County and $35 million for a plant in Indiana County. He said the differences reveal that the assessment of power plants is an evolving process and there is little appellant guidance.
He said the numbers should come closer together once the assessments are taken to appellate courts and there is a body of law for reference.
Meanwhile, the Greene County Prison Board met Wednesday.
Warden Harry D. Gillispie said the county prison is now housing six female inmates from Butler County and has had interest from Lancaster County.
He said he has sent a fax to all wardens in the state, advising them that Greene County has space available to house their inmates.
The salary and retirement boards will meet today after the commissioners’ regular business meeting.