NorCo: McClure's Proposes $502 Million Budget For 2025

Yesterday, NorCo Exec Lamont McClure proposed a $502 million spending plan (you can see it here) for 2025. It maintains the same tax rate as this year. If you're a county taxpayer, this means that the current 10.8 mill tax rate will remain the same. A home assessed at $75,000 will receive a tax bill for $810. 

Under our Home Rule Charter, McClure must submit a balanced budget. Total proposed spending may not exceed anticipated revenue. Also, if County Council decides to reject the budget, McClure's spending plan automatically goes into effect. Council does have the power to amend, but it must leave intact any payments scheduled for debt service and it has no authority to modify the Executive's revenue estimates. If it wants to fund something, it has to find the money by making cuts elsewhere. It must take action by December 16. 

McClure's $502 million spending plan is $51 million less (9.3%) than it was last year. Interestingly, only $104.4 million of the county's budget (20.9%) comes from real estate taxes. The rest comes from intergovernmental grants, fees and fines, investment income and fund balance. 

Open Space: In his Budget Message, which he read in the above video, McClure notes that he has set aside $3 million for open space, something he has done every year. He believes this is one way that the county can slow down warehouse proliferation

Employee health center: Noting a rise in healthcare costs, he made a pitch again for a voluntary employee health center, which he believes would save money for both taxpayers and county workers. So far, County Council has been opposed to this idea. "We need to do a better job of talking about that," said McClure. He stressed it would save the county between $5-10 million over 5 years. "I don't know why you wouldn't want to do that."  

Emergency stabilization fund: This is also known as the rainy-day fund, and County Council requires a minimum balance of 5% of the total expenditures expected over the course of the year. The county has set aside $8.1 million, or 5.6% of anticipated expenditures.  

Gracedale: He noted that no county funds will be needed to keep Gracedale operational. He said the nursing home's CMS rating, based on a star system, has increased and that census is going up. 

New Parking Garage and county building needed: People who park at the courthouse's garage know that it is beginning to collapse. Oxides leaking from the garage have stained people's cars and chunks of concrete have caused damage. On top of that, the county needs its own elections office and more space for several departments. County Council has thus far refused to take up a $63 million bond ordinance that will enable the county to complete these projects, even though the county's borrowing capacity is a half billion dollars. 

McClure said the parking garage "needs to be replaced now. There are chunks of it falling down. I'm not quite sure why we're not acting on that. I think we've had the bond in front of Council six times ... and still Council has taken no action.  We know from security professionals that [the elections office] needs to all be in one place. We're doing it in four different rooms in this complex right now, and in a new building we could have elections all in one place, all transparent and accessible to everyone who needs to interface with them without having to come through the labyrinth they have to come through now to get to the elections division." He added that people are working out of closets at Human Services and that the Controller's building, which is on its last legs, lacks handicapped accessibility. He added it's too expensive to rent, as some Council members have suggested. 

Employee costs: Northampton County has budgeted for1,913 full and part-time employees, although McClure said yesterday that the total number right now is closer to 1,700.  Career service (nonunion) workers are getting a step in their PayScale, which translates to a 4.5% raise. Union salaries have also increased in accordance with collective bargaining agreements with the county's 11 unions. Yet the total cost of salaries and benefits has decreased 1.4%. In 2024, $166.2 million was set aside for salaries and benefits. But McClure has set aside $163.9 million, over $2 million less in 2025. All but one union (county detectives) are under contract. 

This might be because the county is asking employees to pay more for healthcare. The county contribution to healthcare and dental is projected to be $705,600 less this year than it was in 2024. 

Passenger Rail: McClure stated he is probably the biggest advocate of passenger rail in the Lehigh Valley but has set aside no money for it. 

Thank God!