A 2023 Operational Assessment of Gracedale, Paid for By Taxpayers, Collected Dust for Three Years

Northampton County Council's Wednesday discussion with Continuum of Care Director Thomas Carson and Gracedale Administrator Michelle Morton included a detailed discussion of the 2023 Affinity operational assessment. at Gracedale. 

This report was ordered by a previous County Council over former Executive Lamont McClure's veto. Council thought it would be helpful to have some "outside lens" on Gracedale. Tara Zrinski, then a Council member, supported McClure's veto. 

This outside performance audit has pretty much been collecting dust since that time. After Michelle Morton was hired as Administrator in March 2025, it was never provided to her. She told County Council on November 9, 2025, that she had yet to see this report. When she testified before the Investigating Grand Jury on December 30, 2025, she still had failed to read it. 

Carson has. 

He told Council it produces a remarkably candid picture of the problems facing Gracedale. This raises questions about why many of the report's recommendations were not addressed sooner. Carson suggested Gracedale use the 2023 Affinity report as a blueprint and give current management time to implement its recommendations. He noted many of its findings and recommendations are the same issues he has been reporting to now County Executive Tara Zrinski.

Carson plans to meet with Gracedale's administration and nursing leadership and go through the Affinity report line by line to determine what needs to be done. "I'm not going to stand here before this committee and suggest everything is fine when the facts tell us otherwise," he declared. But he also stressed that Gracedale's problems are only a part of "the entire story." He has met employees who have devoted years and even decades to Gracedale and remain deeply committed to its residents.

Carson said employees want leadership that listens, communicates, holds people accountable and is present. His commitment to Council was straightforward: "I will tell you what I know, I will tell you what we are doing about it, and I will be accountable for the results."

Affinity findings that Gracedale had no referral tracking system, was poorly marketing itself and had no formal daily "standout" or shift-turnover meetings, have remained poorly addressed. But the most striking part of Carson's presentation involves employee morale.

The Affinity report said employees felt demoralized by negative media coverage and the frequent public discussion of Gracedale's problems. Carson said that finding remains relevant. He mentioned one employee had told him that she covers the Gracedale logo on her sweatshirt when leaving the facility because she is embarrassed to be identified with Gracedale.

WAGES AND AGENCY STAFFING

Affinity found that Gracedale's wages were noncompetitive. Three years later, that is still the case. Carson said some employees struggle to make ends meet, feel forgotten by the county, and many leave for higher-paying jobs. He described compensation as a "critical" problem.

Carson said the recent increase in nursing-supervisor pay was a step in the right direction and that paying all nursing staff more could result in the elimination of agency nursing. The Affinity report said Gracedale spent approximately $11.3 million on agency staffing in 2022. Now it's roughly twice that amount.

In one positive note, nine people were beginning new-hire orientation last week, the largest number Carson has seen since he arrived a few weeks ago. 

Only one is a nursing supervisor, but Carson "hopes" at least 90% of the supervisor positions are filled by the first quarter of 2027. 

WHY WAS THE 2023 REPORT SHELVED?

Council member Dave Holland asked Carson perhaps the most important question of the evening: Why was Council only discussing a taxpayer-funded 2023 report in October 2026 when it contained apparently relevant concerns?

Carson was unable to answer because he was not at Gracedale in 2023 and could only speculate that someone the report was unneeded.

AGENCY CONTRACT AND RATES

Council member Nadeem Qayyum had questions about the disparity between county and agency hourly rates.

Examples cited during the meeting included:

CNA: $17.88 county versus $36.40 agency.

LPN: $25.50 county versus $53.20 agency.

RN: $32.60 county versus $84 agency.

Morton acknowledged that agency rates are substantially higher.

THE CNA TRAINING PROGRAM WAS STOPPED BY DOH

Council member Lori Vargo Heffner asked what happened to a CNA training program that had once been used to recruit workers. Morton said originally that the program had been placed on hold because too many people were using it to obtain their CNA training and then leaving for jobs elsewhere. She later told the truth, admitting that the state DOH actually removed Gracedale's training certificate as a result of deficiencies, meaning the facility currently is unable to operate the CNA training program. 

Vargo Heffner asked whether Gracedale could require trainees to remain employed for a certain period or repay training costs if they leave. Morton said Pennsylvania law prevents the county from simply imposing such a requirement. She was asked to send the legal authority to Council's Solicitor for review. 

In effect, Gracedale was spending money and staff time training people who were not necessarily staying at Gracedale.

Morton also said Gracedale's population has changed. Whereas the facility had historically been more heavily geriatric, it now has many more residents with mental-health issues and associated behavioral challenges.

Management decided that staff-development resources would be better spent providing additional training to existing employees.

There was also a second problem: following an abuse incident last July, the Department of Health removed Gracedale's training certificate, meaning the facility currently cannot operate the CNA training program.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS 

Though Carson appeared sincere, he was hesitant and neither he nor Administrator Micheelle Morton were able to answer fully at least seven substantive questions or information requests.

1. How many Gracedale employees are covered by union contracts?

2. How many union positions are filled and how many are vacant?

3. How many employees are outside the union?

4. The biggest unanswered question was posed by Council member Jason Bouletter. How many county-employed nurses are required to operate a 450-bed Gracedale without agency nurses? - Both Carson and Morton looked like deer caught in the headlights when asked a pretty important financial and resident care question.

5. What were the exact dates of the three new Department of Health citations?

6. When will the agency contract receive a formal audit, and what would that audit show?

7. Why were the recommendations in the 2023 Affinity report not fully implemented before 2026?

There were also several questions that initially received incomplete answers and required Council members to press for clarification, particularly concerning agency staffing, the formal shift-change meetings and the CNA training program.

THE BIGGER ISSUE

The testimony creates an interesting paradox.

Carson and Morton both essentially agreed that the Affinity report identified legitimate problems. They also agreed that many of those problems are still relevant. What's troubling is that several problems identified in 2023 — referral tracking, marketing, employee morale, communication, accountability and staffing — remain issues three years later.

And the biggest unanswered question may be the one Carson was asked directly: Why did a taxpayer-funded report identifying these problems in 2023 apparently sit without being fully implemented until the current administration began addressing them?

Carson's answer was essentially that he was employed elsewhere and hence was unable to explain what happened. Morton's explanation was that current management independently identified many of the same issues and has been working on them since she arrived.

That leaves an important accountability question for County Council: Who was responsible for implementing the Affinity recommendations between 2023 and the arrival of the current Gracedale leadership, and why were so many of them still outstanding three years later?

Two words. Lamont McClure. He bristled at the notion of an operational assessment and simply ignored it. 

(More to come on Monday). 

Gracedale Still Has No Protocol with Upper Nazareth Police for 911 Calls

 On June 23, 2025, repeated calls to 911 occurred when Octavia Robinson, an agency nurse who was suffering some sort of mental health breakdown, decided to perform an exorcism on a resident (E.B.) by assaulting her. In addition to sticking fingers down E.B.'s throat and stuffing clothes and towels into E.B's mouth, Robinson was seen pounding E.B.'s back and chest with her fist, screaming that there was a demon inside E.B. This assault continued for 30 minutes before police responded. She was seriously injured and died shortly after the assault though her death was unrelated to the assault. 

In the 14 months that have passed since this incident, the county has yet to establish an official protocol with police concerning 911 calls and what is or is not an emergency. My understanding is that when receiving a 911 call, the dispatcher will first contact Gracedale to determine whether there is a real emergency. But no formal policy has been established, even after residents made multiple calls to 911 about a mentally ill nurse who was allegedly assaulting a resident. On June 23, three calls had to be made before a nursing supervisor got off her ass to check out the complaint. Then it was she who placed the fourth call. 

It is this incident, and an obvious breakdown in communications between Gracedale and Upper Nazareth police, that led District Attorney Steve Baratta to commence a Grand Jury investigation. You would think that something that sparked a grand jury investigation might induce Gracedale and county administrators to establish a formal policy. According to Upper Nazareth Tp Police Chief William Cope, he has reached out several times and has written to the county but has been ignored. 

At Wednesday's Gracedale Oversight Committee hearing, Continuum of Care Director Tom Carson told Council member Jason Boulette that he asked for a meeting but has received no response. 

But he only asked for a meeting this week. ... 14 months after an assault in which a resident could easily have been killed. 

Boulette told Carson that Chief Cope requested a meeting in June and after the Grand Jury report, releases a statement saying that he had followed up on that letter and had requested a meeting. 

"I've been in contact with him," said Boulette. "I know he's been reaching out and trying to get a meeting."

I don't know about you, but I am simply astonished that Gracedale has made no effort to establish a formal 911 protocol.  Administrator Michelle Morton should have been on top of this as soon as it became clear that three 911 calls were made before a nursing supervisor decided to do her job.

This is clear mismanagement, and it has continued until now. 

Third Suicide at NorCo Jail

In late June, I told you that there had been two suicides at NorCo jail within the span of 10 days. Executive Tara Zrinski has acknowledged a third suicide on September 23. 

Pedro Santiago-Espinosa, age 38, was described in an obituary as a "free spirit" and a Liberty High grad.  But he also had an extensive criminal history.  He had just finished an arson trial on September 21 and was found guilty in February of indecent assault. He had been sentenced to 5 1/2 to 11 years in state prison on that charge but was in NorCo's jail for the arson case. 

Gracedale Had Two Serious Deficiencies in September and Failed to Notify NorCo Council

The long-awaited first-ever meeting of the Gracedale Oversight Committee was finally conducted yesterday afternoon. Though there are only four members, all of  NorCo Council, with the exception of Jeff Warren, were present. This heavy attendance is what'll happen when an Executive proposes a 43.5% tax hike and wants $12 million to go to Gracedale. 

Chair Kelly Keegan, who voted against establishing a Gracedale Oversight Committee, explained yesterday why she waited so long to call a meeting. She said she wanted to give Tom Carson, the newly appointed Director of the newly created Continuum of Care department, some time to familiarize himself with his new role. She said she'd take responsibility for the delay, and I can accept her reasoning after watching him yesterday. I'd say he even needs more time.

It was a very lengthy meeting and I will provide more detail in a separate post. But for now, I want to focus on two September inspections that resulted in G-level deficiencies — a classification described as involving actual harm to a resident. We'll learn more about them when the state Department of Health (DOH) posts its surveys. There was also a third, less serious, deficiency.

At a meeting in early February, Council member Dave Holland requested that County Council be immediately notified whenever DOH visits Gracedale because there is a 41-day lag between when a visit occurs and when it is posted online. He was assured that Council would be notified, but that never happened. 

Holland: "So you're telling me you had a survey on September 10 and there was a G?

Administrator Michelle Morton: "Correct."

Holland: "That's the first time this County Council is hearing that. Does anyone else have that information?"

Morton: "I believe that was sent in." 

Holland: "I'm telling you No. Whose responsibility is it to notify this Council when we have surveys because that did not happen? Anybody in the room? Anybody? Whose responsibility is it to do that?"

At this point, Executive Tara Zrinski said that function would have been up to the Human Services Director but now belongs to Carson. She apologized that she failed to make that duty clear to him.

This communication failure is significant because Gracedale remains on a Provisional II license. Pennsylvania records identify Gracedale as operating under that provisional status, following deficiencies that resulted in the downgrade.

As miffed as he was about the failure to notify Council of two serious deficiencies, Holland said the more serious issue was the new G-level deficiencies and what it could mean for Gracedale's provisional license. He had been encouraged that Gracedale might be moving toward getting out of provisional status, but that new G-level deficiencies could make that more difficult.

Zrinski acknowledged that losing the license was theoretically possible but argued that the latest incident was different from previous problems and that the appropriate response was to correct the problems rather than assume the facility would fail. "We are not going to lose this license," she flatly insisted. She said remained optimistic.

Council member Theresa Fadem was less optimistic. "I support optimism, but what's going to happen if we lose this license? Why are we being asked to fund another $12 million? I don't understand what is going on here. We're throwing money at a problem and we could just lose Gracedale. What is happening"

Zrinski rejected the notion that the county was simply "throwing $12 million" at Gracedale. She said the $12 million represents a budgeted county contribution based on what the county wants Gracedale to become, rather than what the facility looks like today.

She downplayed the G-level deficiencies saying "they are not as horrific as you think. We are not going to lose this license." She argued Gracedale only gets more attention because of a critical Grand Jury report. She also blamed agency nurses, claiming, "We need our eyes on people. That's how things like this happen."

Fadem remained unpersuaded. "How do we expect to attract more people to Gracedale when we keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results? Isn't that what somebody called the definition of insanity?"

Zrinski: "I do understand the definition of insanity." She then went on to say that other nursing homes have problems, too, referring to an incident at Moravian Hall Square. But Fadem noted that Gracedale, unlike Moravian Hall Square, is a publicly run facility. Zrinski then said she is putting out fires daily.

Council member Keegan, who is a nurse, told Zrinski that she would be sure to keep her eyes on patients with histories of problems. She said she wants to hear that every single employee is staring at the residents to ensure they don't fall, they don't choke or have other issues that can be prevented. Zrinski sarcastically suggested bubble wrap, but no one laughed "We want to hear that employees are taking extra care because this is serious," said Keegan.

Zrinski then got emotional. "Things can happen in a second. And when they do, you think, 'I should have been watching." And you blame yourself. You can't think that all of us sitting here today haven't thought, 'Damn it. We failed again.' because we do. That goes through our heads. And we're trying so hard. This is not easy."

She then returned to her seat.

This emotional exchange indicates that Gracedale's problems are beginning to take a toll on Zrinski, who does seem intent on keeping a poor administrator and unwilling to look into other publicly run nursing homes. 

The next Gracedale Oversight Committee will be December 2 at 4 pm.

I will report on other aspects of the meeting tomorrow.

Gracedale's Oversight Committee Will Finally Meet Today

Northampton County Council voted on July 2 to establish a Gracedale Oversight Committee. Over three months later, and after a critical Grand Jury Report, it will finally have its inaugural meeting today at 3:45 pm. It was scheduled during a non-meeting week and in the middle of the afternoon in what appears to be an attempt to discourage some Council members from attending.

The Committee is chaired by Council member Kelly Keegan, who voted against its formation. Council President Ken Kraft, who also voted against establishing this committee, is also a member. The other two members are Council members Dave Holland, who proposed this review panel, as well as Theresa Fadem. 

The Committee will first review a 2023 operational assessment that was ordered by a previous County Council over the objections of then Exec Lamont McClure. When Gracedale Administrator Michelle Morton appeared before County Council on November 6, she admitted that she had never read the report and appeared to be unaware of it. When she testified before an Investigating Grand Jury on 12/30/25, she still had failed to read it. 

The Committee is slated to receive a report from Tom Carson, the newly appointed Director of the newly established Continuum of Care. He has no experience in nursing home administration or nursing but said he would bring leadership and would speak to every employee at Gracedale. I'd like to know if he has. 

There will then be a discussion of "public image," which obviously is suffering as a result of both a critical Grand Jury Report as well as the numerous and serious deficiencies at the home since Michelle Morton became Administrator. Keegan likes to say she wants to hear about all the good things at the home. I'll be happy to report on objective findings like an upgrade in the Provisional II license or the removal of the abuse tag and a drop in the number of deficiencies. Unfortunately, the scuttlebutt is that the home has been cited with three new deficiencies within the past three weeks.  

Morton is slated to make her own presentation. I'd like her to explain how she is entitled to a one-step increase in salary when the home has been cited repeatedly since she's been there, and as recently as three weeks ago if the rumors are true.

I'd like to know why the DON, ADONs and assistant administrator are getting two-step raises in a home that is seriously challenged, especially when other career service workers are overlooked. This hardly restores morale. 

I'd like to know if a protocol has been established on handling 911 calls. I find it astonishing that, as of the date of the Grand Jury Report's publication, there still was no understanding on such an important public safety issue. Over 15 months have ensued since numerous 911 calls were made before Upper Nazareth police responded to a mentally ill nurse who was performing an exorcism. On at least two occasions, nurses said nothing was going on. Has a protocol been established? What is it? 

Recently, at Executive Tra Zrinski's request, County Council voted to establish significant payraises for 26 nursing supervisors ($52 an hour). Zrinski claimed that some agency nurses told her they would become county employees if this happened. How many agency nurses have become county employees? How many nursing supervisors have been hired since this increase? 

Gracedale needs $12 million from the county coffers in 2027. Previously, Administrator Michelle Morton and Human Services Director Sue Wandalowski assured Council that Gracedale would be only slightly over budget. What happened?  Before proposing a continuum of care, did Zrinski do a long-range plan about finances as well as the trend for seniors to age in place rather than be packed like sardines in a warehouse to await their deaths? 

How much should taxpayers have to spend to keep Gracedale operational? Sure, there's a moral obligation to care for the elderly, but that should include seniors on fixed incomes who are struggling to pay taxes. 

Congressional Candidate Bob Brooks Actually Received $30k in COVID Relief Funds and Falsely Denied Existence of Wiley Judgment

Late last week, I told you that The Free Beacon, an admittedly conservative website, posted a story suggesting that Bob Brooks, the Democratic nominee for the Pa. 07 Congressional seat held by Ryan Mackenzie, lied on his application for a $15,000 COVID relief grant. This was funded by the federal funds and administered by Northampton County as part of its attempt to help small businesses during the pandemic. 

Some of you downplayed the matter. "Where's the actual application?" asked one reader. "Produce the application or it's not true. Civil judgments did not preclude applicants from receiving COVID funds. There's no evidence of wrongdoing here."

Yesterday, NorCo GOP party chair Glenn Geissinger conducted a news conference outside the courthouse and brought the receipts. Due to a prior commitment, I was unable to attend. But Kevin Danyi, a prominent Bethlehem attorney, brought all the documents. 

Geissinger is asking both Northampton County DA Steve Baratta and US Attorney David Metcalf (Eastern District Pa.) to open investigations.

From Geissinger's letter, I have learned the following: 

1) Brooks actually sought and obtained two COVID relief grants for $15,000 in November 2020 and September 2021. He received $30,000 from a fund administered by Northampton County. 

2) Instructions included with both applications warned that false statements could result in criminal prosecution under federal law. Pennsylvania law also makes it a crime to make false statements to authorities. 

3) In the September 2021 application, Brooks was specifically asked, " Did you or anyone with an ownership interest in the business have any judgments against you?" Brooks answered "No."

4) At the time of this application, Brooks was a judgment debtor. In Wiley v. Brooks (2018-2005), a $130,386.36 judgment was entered against Brooks on November 19, 2020. That judgment was open of record, i.e. unpaid, at the time of his application. 

5) On both applications, Brooks was specifically asked, "Are you or anyone with an ownership interest in default on any loans or leases?" Brooks answered, "No."

6) In fact, two prior judgments were still open of record. One of these, Midland Funding v. Brooks (2012-8088) was originally entered for $4,005.26 and is open to this day. The other, FIA Card Services v. Brooks (2012-7769) was entered for $7,872.59 and was open until 2024. 

Facially, it appears that Brooks lied on both applications and deprived some worthy small business of funds it may have needed to survive. I say facially because the Midland Funding judgment may have been satisfied but is just open of record. But there is no question that Brooks lied when he denied the existence of the Wiley judgment.

In addition to seeking a criminal investigation for possible false statements. Geissinger wants federal and state authorities to look into the matters surrounding a possible fraudulent conveyance to avoid paying off the Wiley judgment. That matter, however, has since settled. 

Zrinski is Asking for More Than She Needs in Her 2027 Budget

On Friday morning, Northampton County Executive was late to her own news conference announcing her first proposed budget for next year. That was no inconvenience for me. Since the budget itself was yet to be posted online (that would only happen later in the day), I decided to skip it and just watch what she had to say during a rather disappointing Facebook Live, in which a jocular attitude, stray tangents and inappropriate laughter betrayed the gravity of the heavy burden she hopes to impose on property owners. She denied she was really late, saying, "Nothing happens without me." She proposed what amounts to a roughly 43.5% increase in property taxes, increasing the millage rate from 10.5 to about 15.6 mills.

A tax hike is more than overdue, if only to make working for the county a little more attractive for employees. Moreover, Zrinski knows that what she seeks will never be approved by County Council. I believe she intentionally inflated her demand so that County Council can claim victory when it trims her proposal to a more realistic tax hike of about 1.5- 2 mills. That may have been a smart play with County Council, but not with the public. I've seen calls to action on social media, calling on people to attend budget hearings and complain. 

Zrinski has attempted to justify what she calls an "honest budget" on her Substack page.  It is far from honest. She first tries to minimize it, noting it's only $24.19 a month for the average taxpayer. For some. already burdened by high school taxes, this could be the final nail. She then plays the woman card for some reason that should be completely irrelevant to this discussion. She also plays the blame game, accusing "past administrations" (former Exec. Lamont McClure) for putting her in this position. This may to some extent be accurate, but she was a willing participant as a member of County Council. She finally admits that it's only a "recommendation," meaning that it's more of a wish list than a truly honest budget.

Shortly after the budget became available, so did a very thorough, but anonymous, online analysis called WhoBuiltThisShit. Some think this came from the Zrinski administration in an attempt to throw McClure under the bus. I think the analysis actually makes both McClure and Zrinski look pretty bad, so I doubt it came from any of her supporters. It is possible that someone in Fiscal Affairs prepared this analysis, and we'll eventually learn who because the shelf life of a secret in NorCo is about 15 minutes. 

Zrinski is proposing a $44.5 million increase in property tax revenue, but more than half of this is to cover items that McClure left out of his final budget. A review of Zrinski’s proposed budget, her public statements, her County of Northampton Facebook Live presentation, her Substack writing, public reactions on social media and the independent analysis published at Who Built This Shit? suggests a more complicated picture. The county faces genuine financial pressures involving pensions, Gracedale, employee costs, overtime and its reliance on reserves. But the minimum amount necessary to address those problems should be far lower than what Zrinski seeks.

SPENDING INCREASES ABOUT 4%, BUT PROPERTY-TAX COLLECTIONS RISE MUCH MORE

The proposed 2027 budget totals approximately $566.9 million, compared with about $546.8 million in the 2026 amended budget. That represents an increase of approximately $20.1 million, or 4%. Property-tax collections, however, would increase by approximately $44.5 million, from roughly $99.5 million to $144 million. The difference is important.

It would be misleading to characterize the proposal as simply a $44.5 million spending increase. Some additional revenue would replace reserves and restore funding for obligations that were underfunded or deferred in the 2026 budget. But it would be just as misleading to focus exclusively on the $20.1 million increase in spending. Taxpayers are being asked to provide approximately $44.5 million in additional recurring property-tax revenue.

ZRINSKI HAS A LEGITIMATE ARGUMENT ABOUT THE 2026 BUDGET

One of Zrinski’s strongest arguments is that the 2026 budget did not fully reflect several expenses the county would ultimately have to confront. The independent Who Built This Shit? analysis found that the 2026 budget contained approximately $1.3 million for pensions, compared with approximately $8.2 million actually spent in 2025. The proposed 2027 budget contains approximately $12.2 million for pensions. The 2026 budget also contained no budgeted subsidy for Gracedale, even though the nursing home was expected to require approximately $3.9 million. The 2027 proposal includes approximately $12 million for Gracedale.The proposed budget also reduces reliance on fund balance by approximately $19.2 million. These figures support Zrinski’s contention that the county’s financial position cannot be evaluated simply by comparing the proposed 2027 budget with the 2026 budget.

Zrinski made similar arguments before becoming executive. During the debate over the 2026 budget, she criticized the practice of balancing a budget by failing to adequately fund programs and obligations. In that respect, her current proposal is consistent with warnings she made before she assumed office.

BUT THE NUMBERS DO NOT ESTABLISH THAT 15.5 MILLS IS THE ONLY ANSWER

The more difficult question is whether addressing those obligations requires the full proposed 4.7-mill increase. That seems doubtful. The independent analysis found that approximately $302.5 million of roughly $400.6 million in non-payroll expenditures—about 76%—is contained in broad or pooled categories These pooled categories make it difficult for taxpayers and County Council to determine whether savings are available. Tus is why I consider the budget dishonest or at least nontransparent.

Before approving any tax increase, Council should demand greater detail showing what is contained in the largest pooled accounts, who receives the money, whether expenditures are mandated and how much was actually spent in previous years. For major expenditures, the county should disclose vendors, contracts, purposes, prior-year spending, proposed spending and explanations for significant increases.

LIKE IT OR NOT, GRACEDALE REMAINS THE BIGGEST FINANCIAL AND POLICY QUESTION

Gracedale is at the center of the budget debate. In her Substack writing, Zrinski describes the county-owned nursing home as a public asset that provides accountability and a safety net for vulnerable residents. She has argued that the county should improve and preserve the facility rather than treat it simply as another expense. The proposed budget includes approximately $12 million for Gracedale. The independent analysis identifies that subsidy as an area requiring particular scrutiny. There are those who feel the cost of this facility, which is poorly managed, is simply too much.

Both positions can be valid. The fact that Gracedale requires taxpayer support is no justification, by itself, for selling the facility. But there still needs to be financial accountability. Zrinski has vowed to make Gracedale self-sustaining. When? How long will the county taxpayers be forced to support the facility, and at amounts that increase each year? When will the $12 million subsidy begin to decline, and when is it expected to reach zero? The administration should provide a five-year financial plan showing projected resident census, staffing costs, agency nursing costs, overtime, reimbursement rates, Medicare and Medicaid revenue, private-pay revenue and taxpayer subsidies. Without measurable benchmarks, self-sufficiency remains an objective rather than a demonstrated financial plan. I have long argued that the county needs to plan for this, especially as more and more seniors stay away from nursing homes.

OVERTIME DESERVES CLOSER EXAMINATION

The independent analysis found that the proposed countywide overtime budget is approximately $6.2 million, compared with actual overtime spending of approximately $8.3 million in 2025 and projected spending of approximately $8.9 million in 2026. At the county jail, approximately $2 million is budgeted for overtime despite spending of approximately $3.8 million. These figures raise a management question: Would hiring additional full-time employees cost less than continuing to pay large amounts of overtime? That question cannot be answered simply by claiming the county has too many or too few employees. A department like Corrections or Gracedale can have numerous authorized positions but substantial vacancies, forcing existing employees to work overtime. The county should publish authorized positions, filled positions, vacancies and overtime costs by department.

The same issue applies to salaries. The independent analysis found that 2026 salary expenditures were budgeted at approximately $99.9 million, while projected actual spending was approximately $96.4 million. This reflects vacant positions, meaning the county has a recruitment and retention problem.

WHAT THE INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS GETS RIGHT

The Who Built This Shit? analysis is valuable because it identifies questions the county should answer. Its strongest point is that the budget fails to provide enough detail for taxpayers to determine whether the proposed 15.5-mill rate is the minimum necessary. A $12 million Gracedale appropriation may be justified. A large overtime account may be justified. Major infrastructure projects and professional-services contracts may also be justified. But taxpayers should be able to determine why expenditures are necessary and whether less expensive alternatives exist.

WHAT COUNTY COUNCIL SHOULD DEMAND

Before adopting the budget, Council should require a detailed breakdown of the additional property-tax revenue, including: Pension obligations and required contributions; Gracedale’s operating subsidy and five-year financial outlook; Employee compensation and staffing costs; Jail and corrections expenses, including overtime; Infrastructure and capital projects; Professional-services contracts and other major vendors; transfers between funds and the amount needed to replace reserves; and New initiatives and other discretionary spending; Potential savings from filling vacancies, reducing overtime and renegotiating contracts.

There is definitely room to cut. I particularly dislike the $500,000 grants to New Bethany and Skyline Investments. While New Bethany might be able to justify a grant, Northampton County Council voted 6-3 against giving Skyline a tax break for luxury apartments in Wilson Borough. It appears that Zrinski is seeking to funnel some dough to this for-profit venture through the back door, and at a time when the county needs every penny it can get.