Commissioners approve 2022 county budget with no tax increase
Greene County commissioners approved their 2022 budget, which offers no property tax increase for residents and is roughly $2.33 million less than last year’s spending plan, during their Dec. 16 regular meeting.
Next year’s overall budget is $38,731,912.46.
Commissioner Mike Belding said聽the most significant change in the budget is for the CDBG/HOME program, which saw a reduction of more than $1.7 million from last year’s budget.
“The department received a Community Development Block Grant entitlement grant in the amount of $569,992, a CDBG CARES grant for the creation of the Forgivable Advance for Small Business Assistance (FASBA) in the amount of $1,277,083.00, and HOME Investment Partnership for housing rehabilitation in the amount of $500,000,” he said.
“We anticipate receiving a 2022 CDBG entitlement grant estimated to be $576,000, but that will not be confirmed until May, 2022,” he continued. “Other grants on the horizon include additional HOME funds and CDBG Competitive funds, but this revenue cannot be confirmed until the grants are submitted and if they are awarded.”
Belding said the Act 13 funding received in 2021 will be transferred to the county’s Capital Projects Account, increasing the fund balance. The funds will be utilized to invest in projects within the county, in many cases as matching funds toward grants received increasing the impact of available funding.
“Combined with significant county expense reductions, the commissioners remain focused on using restricted funds more appropriately than in the past and investing in projects that make Greene County a better place to live, work and play,” he said.
Belding said there were a number of challenges in putting together the county 2022 budget.
“From 2014 through 2020, revenue of the Greene County budget has been increasingly padded with non-traditional revenue that is unsustainable, particularly ACT 13 funding,” he said. “We have made significant cuts in county expenses over the past two years by reduced staffing, contract reviews and a focus on fiscally responsible decision making. Some progress has been made, but you cannot save your way out of a $5 million (2020) budget deficit.
“We have cut nearly $2 million in annual expenses, but there has been no increase in traditional revenue,” he continued. “The next two years, 2022 and 2023, will be salvaged by the influx of federal funding like the American Rescue Plan, but going forward we need substantial increases in the tax base with increased businesses, industry and residential housing activities.”
He added that the county experienced a $40 million coal depletion for 2022.
“We are in better fiscal shape than last year, but we’re still not able to balance the budget simply with traditional revenue,” he said. “We’ll be using a combination of American Rescue Plan Funding and minimal ACT 13 funding to fill the deficits of next year’s budget.
Belding said he feels hopeful about future budgets for the county.
“There have been significant positive impacts within Greene County over the past year,” he said. “Several industry partners have announced positive initiatives for increased employee requirements and diversified industrial business opportunities.
“Greene County leads the commonwealth in rural broadband deployment with more than $8 million in completed or awarded investments and additional grant requests pending approval,” he added. “There has been increased community involvement in defining, analyzing and working toward solutions in cooperative efforts to mitigate some community concerns.”