Clearfield County officials defend shift to 50% assessment ratio and 1-mill tax increase as residents press for reversal

Clearfield County commissioners said they changed the county ssessment "predetermined ratio" from 25% of assessed value to 50% and separately enacted a 1-mill tax increase for 2025, and officials told residents that the net effect of the ratio change and the accompanying 50% millage cut should leave individual tax bills unchanged.

The commissioners said the ratio change was intended to give future boards and municipalities more room to maneuver because many municipalities were at or near the 25-mill cap established by state law. "We changed that to 50%, but at the same time reduced the millage by 50% as well. The net effect was no change to the tax owed by any county resident," a county official said during the meeting.

Residents who addressed the board during the public-comment period urged the commissioners to reverse the decision. Morris, who identified himself as from Morris Township, said last year the board had reversed a previous change after public outcry and that the current move to 50% "is not the will of the people." John Del Antonio and other speakers asked the commissioners to review department budgets and suggested cutting departmental budgets by 5% rather than raising taxes.

Tony Yankovich, who said he previously served as a county commissioner, questioned the need for the 1-mill increase and cited county account balances he said exist across several funds. He told the commissioners the county held about $6,400,000 in the general fund and roughly the same in the operating reserve at the end of 2024, and cited additional six-figure balances in other funds. "That 1-mill tax increase was completely unjustified," Yankovich said.

Other residents raised related concerns about how the ratio change might affect other taxing bodies. Sherry Serkovich asked whether the new assessment ratio would affect township and school taxing calculations; a county official replied that the change "will affect other taxing bodies" and that those entities' millage calculations would be reflected using the new ratio.

Commissioners noted that both votes 1to change the ratio and to enact the 1-mill increase1were made publicly, were covered by the press, and are available to view on the county's YouTube channel. Commissioners also said the county is following state law limits on millage. Residents requesting rescission were told the county had already taken those actions but were directed to future meetings and ballot timelines where they could press for change.

The meeting record shows no new motion at this session to rescind either the change to the predetermined ratio or the 1-mill increase.

Residents who spoke at the meeting asked for greater budget transparency and for the board to consider spending cuts instead of tax increases. Several public commenters also tied the conversation about taxes to other local concerns such as closure of the Lock Haven University Clearfield campus and local service reductions.

The county posted the meeting and prior votes online; the commissioners also said the 50% ratio aligns Clearfield with many Pennsylvania counties where most counties use either a 50% or 100% predetermined ratio.