NorCo Council Holds Line on Taxes in 2019

Northampton County Council has unanimously approved Executive Lamont McClure's $455 million spending plan for next year. It holds the line on taxes, keeping the tax rate at 11.8 mills  There's been no increase in county taxes since 2015, when a half mill tax hike was approved by a previous Council under former Executive John Brown.

This vote occurred during the sane part of last night's County Council meeting, before SuperShrink Lori Vargo Heffner and Social Justice Warrior (and solar panel salesperson) Tara Zrinski embarked on their bizarre crusades.

What this budget means is that a homeowner or business with property assessed at $125,000 will see a county bill of $1,180. In addition to county taxes, these property owners must pay school and municipal taxes. These combine to make Northampton County's total property taxes among the highest in the nation. According to Tax-Rates.org, Northampton County ranks 129th of the 3143 counties nationwide in order of median property taxes.

The county has no authority to impose an income tax.

It's an ambitious spending plan. Executive McClure plans to purchase the County's Centralized Human Services Building, located on Emrick Boulevard in Bethlehem Tp.  The purchase price is $14,468,731. It is currently being leased at a cost of $1.05 million per year. It is also a "triple net" lease, meaning the County must pay taxes, maintenance costs and insurance. The real estate tax bill alone is $190,000 per year.

Though the County has sufficient funds on hand to complete the purchase, Executive McClure intends to borrow the money. The reason for this is that the state currently reimburses the county for 80% of the cost of the lease, and will continue to do so if the County borrows money to complete the purchase. There will be no reimbursement if the County has no debt. This state funding can be leveraged.

In addition, Executive McClure intends to build an $11 million state of the art forensic center, where autopsies and toxicology tests are performed to help solve murder crimes. A location has yet to be established, although Executive McClure has told Council that he is leaning towards a site on the Gracedale campus near the 911 center.

Council has already authorized a $26 million bond, which is structured so that it will actually decrease the county's debt in he long run.

With bond proceeds and money on hand,  McClure will be able to pay for a controversial $38.5 million public private partnership project under which nearly county bridges are being outright replaced or repaired over the next four years.

There will be no county contribution earmarked for Gracedale, the county's nursing home. In fact, Executive McClure intends to replace Premier, the County's outside administrator, with in-house staff who are certified. This will save the County $450,000 per year. Part of the budget package includes approval of a $119,000 per year Administrator.

The budget maintains the County's commitment to open space, devoting $3 million to a farmland preservation, the purchase of environmentally sensitive lands and park projects.

The budget includes a 2% COLA for nonunion employees as well as step increases for nonunion employees hired in 2014, 2015 and 2016. last year, a step increase was awarded to more senior nonunion workers. Employees hired in 2017 or 2018 are excluded. According to Fiscal Affairs Director, a good number of employees hired in 2017 are being upgraded. The Executive will also eliminate gap insurance and co-pay for employees. He expects this to increase the bottom line of every worker.

The budget grants no increase to union workers because they are subject to collective bargaining agreements. Administration sources have stated that eight union contracts either are or are close to being ratified.

Northampton County and Bethlehem are in the process of consolidating 911 service. Executive McClure predicts it will take place between April and July.

It is a true balanced budget. There is no deficit spending of cash reserves. .

The lion's share of McClure's budget (51.2%) will fund Human Services, which serves 80,000 people.

The budget fails to address salary compression among county employees or low wages in many positions. But Executive McClure told Council, "You can't move forward until you put the past to rest." He said that leveraging state money to buy the human services building, construction of a forensic center and razing the Milides building to create 104 parking spaces is good government. "You're governing," he told Council.He is hopeful the state will grant funding for a "safe" crosswalk for people who need to use the courthouse. "I watch senior citizens struggle every day to get in the front door," he observed.

The budget includes the elimination of some positions that are no longer needed. Council VP Ron Heckman  was careful to ask whether other jobs were found for those employees. In all but one case, another job has been found or the person is retiring.

The budget also calls for six additional corrections officers on the theory that this will reduce mandated overtime at the jail, which guards complain is very stressful. Council member John Cusick voted No to these additional positions because there is "no corresponding reduction in overtime" in the budget.

Cusick was also the sole No vote to a $119,000 in-house nursing home administrator. "Premier [a third-party administrator] did an outstanding job and I would prefer that we retain them," he explained. Council member Matt Dietz agreed that Council needs to "stay on top" of what happens at Gracedale. Council member Peg Ferraro said she is "very leery" of the return to county employee serving as the Gracedale administrator. But Council VP Ron Heckman said Gracedale is a "tighter operation now" than it was in previous years.

Cusick also voted against some minor budget amendments because they failed to include the cost of new voting machines with a paper trail, which the state has mandated. While doing so, he derided three nonbinding environmental resolutions that Council member Tara Zrinski wanted heard after the budget. She would later insist on reading a solar energy resolution in its entirety. "Before we save the planet, we need to provide the voters of Northampton County with a state of the art voting system," Cusick pointedly remarked.

Finally, Cusick voted against the Capital Improvements plan for next year because it fails to include a new voting system, yet includes a county expenditure of up to $1.5 million for a for-profit alternative energy company. Cusick complained "it funds a project that is not a core function of county government."

That takes care of the budget, which is Council's most important function. Unfortunately, the meeting was marred by Lori Vargo Heffner's picayune objections to the courts' request for a Director of Treatment if the Juvenile Justice Center  She played word games for a lengthy period with two doctors that Court Administrator Jermaine Greene presented.

But Supershrink was nothing compared to the meaningless environmental resolutions that Social Justice Warrior Tara Zrinski wanted heard. These include a resolution condemning the use of plastic bags and straws at commercial establishments. They also include a resolution endorsing the use of solar panels. Zrinski became downright combative when Council member Peg Ferraro suggested that she was more than a little self-serving. Zrinski sells solar panels.

As Zrinski brayed about the disastrous use of plastic bags and straws, Fiscal Affairs Director Steve Barron quietly removed a plastic straw from his plastic WaWa cup and hid it in his suit pocket. He later tried to give it to me,

Council member Peg Ferraro, usually the voice of reason on Council, finally had enough. "I don't appreciate government getting involved in our lives and telling us what to do all the time," she complained. "I don't mean to be crude, but this plastic bag problem is like a pimple on a whale."  She noted the county has much bigger problems than plastic bags and straws.

I will present the SuperShrink and EcoWarrior stories in more detail on Monday.

The meeting mercifully came to an end. Council VP Ron Heckman threatened, "Over the holidays, I'm going to read Joseph Stalin's Guide to Good Government.