Westmoreland commissioners trim deficit in 2022 budget, which overspends but won't raise taxes

Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved a 2022 budget that increases spending but also trims a projected deficit by nearly $7 million.

The property tax rate will remain unchanged at 21.49 mills.

“Overall, we are financially looking solid as we move forward into the next two years,” Commissioner Sean Kertes said.

The $367.6 million budget includes just more than $2 million in additional spending than what was pitched last month. The county, as it has done for more than a decade, will spend more money than it takes in. The county is slated to spend about $3.7 million more than it will receive through taxes and other funding sources.

The preliminary budget proposed in November included a $10.5 million deficit.

Commissioners said the smaller deficit will be covered by the county’s surplus, which will be about $10 million at the end of this year. The surplus is projected to be $7.6 million at the end of next year.

Meghan McCandless, the county’s financial administrator, said commissioners trimmed the deficit by slashing about $1.7 million in planned capital improvements and by paying for other upgrades with the use of money already in the bank that was generated through a 911 surcharge.

The budget reflects no cuts in services, commissioners said.

“I was especially excited we were able to cut the deficit from the proposed budget to today’s budget by over 50%,” Commissioner Doug Chew said. “That shows a strong amount of teamwork among my colleagues and I who really put the best interests of the taxpayers first.”

The budget includes $141.3 million designated toward general operating expenses. Salaries account for about 54% of that general fund, more than $77 million.

A third of the budget, more than $122 million, will pay for human service programs, while public safety is projected to cost $47.6 million, which is 13% of the overall spending plan. The county set aside $28.4 million to pay for court operations in 2022, about 8% of the budget.

The budget doesn’t list revenues attributed to the $105 million in American Rescue Plan funds the county is slated to receive. The county received the first half of that allocation, more than $52.5 million, last year, and a similar amount is expected in early 2022. Commissioners have not said how most of that money will be spent.

McCandless said the budget includes about $5.3 million in projects that could be paid for using the coronavirus relief funds. Those projects include cybersecurity upgrades, she said.