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Cumberland County finance committee reviews proposed 4.86% tax increase for 2024-25 budget
Summary
County finance director presented a proposed fiscal 2024-25 budget that would raise county taxes by 4.86%, with increases driven by salaries, health insurance, and capital costs; commissioners remanded the proposal to the finance committee for review.
Theresa Grover, Cumberland County finance director, presented the proposed fiscal 2024–25 budget to the Finance Committee on Dec. 19, 2023, saying the plan would increase the county's tax request by 4.86 percent. Grover said total expenditures for 2024–25 are proposed at $69,731,005, an increase of roughly $2.4 million or 3.66 percent from the prior year.
Grover said county operating expenses outside enterprise funds are up about $1.5 million, or 5.72 percent, driven largely by salary and benefit increases, higher software-maintenance costs and more expensive fleet vehicles. "We're proposing a nonunion COLA of 3% in this budget," Grover said. She told the committee the budget also accounts for health insurance rate increases of about 7 percent for the POSC plan and 10 percent for the PPO $2,500 plan.
The budget presentation noted a planned reduction in the county's tax-anticipation note: the county expects to drop the TAN from roughly $15 million this spring to $7 million to $8 million, saving about $70,000 in principal and interest. Grover said the county is not proposing a general obligation bond issue in this fiscal year and is proposing $376,000 in non-debt capital.
Commissioners remanded the proposed budget to the Finance Committee for review and recommendation, and Grover said the committee should expect department hearings and follow-up meetings in January through March so the commissioners can take up the budget again in March. "It is our hopes that over the next 2, 3 months, we'll go through a series of meetings, preparing the the finance committee to make a recommendation," Grover said.
Discussion at the Finance Committee included questions about which departments to invite (sheriff, Cross Insurance Arena management, emergency management, communications/dispatch) and requests for more detailed turnover and department-level numbers. Committee members emphasized interest in the county's efforts to reduce borrowing costs from the TAN and to keep the year-start shift to July 1 to smooth cash flow.
Next steps: the Finance Committee will schedule department hearings and follow-up budget meetings in January and February and aims to deliver a recommendation to the county commissioners in March.
