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Lebanon County commissioners adopt 2025 budget, approve multiple personnel, contract and board actions
Summary
The Lebanon County Board of Commissioners approved the county's 2025 budget with no millage increase and voted to approve a slate of personnel changes, contracts and reappointments during its public meeting.
Lebanon County commissioners voted to adopt the county's 2025 budget, keeping the millage rate at 4.3925 mills, and approved a series of personnel actions, contracts and board reappointments during their public meeting.
The budget was presented as a no-millage-increase plan; commissioners discussed a lower workers' compensation premium and a reduced employer experience modification rating (mod) of 0.713. Commissioners said the reduction in the workers' comp premium reduced the amount of carryover funds needed to balance the budget, though the transcript did not provide a clearly stated final carryover dollar amount. The board then voted to adopt the budget and set the millage at 4.3925 mills.
County staff brought several personnel and contract items as motions and the board approved each by voice vote. The motions approved included memorandums of understanding with unions, multiple staffing changes across county departments, and consultant and service contracts detailed below.
Why this matters: Adopting the annual budget sets the county's property tax rate and spending plan for 2025; the personnel and contract approvals change staffing and services in departments ranging from the coroner's office to the public defender and corrections.
Key supporting details - Millage: Commissioners voted to keep the county millage at 4.3925 mills for 2025. - Workers' compensation: County staff reported a mod of 0.713 and said the mod and premium fell, reducing the draw on carryover funds to balance the budget (specific carryover figures were not clearly stated in the transcript). - The board approved a package of personnel motions, including union memorandums of understanding and multiple position retitles, creations and transfers across county departments (see "Votes at a glance").
Votes at a glance (motions approved) - Approve three memorandums of understanding between Lebanon County and Teamsters Local 429: Social Services Unit; Court-Related Non-Professionals Unit; Court-Appointed Professionals Unit. Outcome: approved (voice vote). - Approve memorandum of understanding with Lebanon County Detectives Association establishing the day after Thanksgiving as a paid holiday for eligible employees, effective 2025. Outcome: approved (voice vote). - Approve multiple personnel actions in the coroner's office including transfers of operations technicians, retitles to coroner logistics technicians, creation of a first deputy and office support position, and additions of casual part-time technician positions, effective Jan. 5, 2025. Outcome: approved (voice vote). - Retitle and reclassify a full-time communications technician to full-time radio system manager (grade 13), effective Jan. 5, 2025. Outcome: approved (voice vote). - Add two interpreter stipends in the district attorney's office at $1,500 annually each, effective Jan. 5, 2025. Outcome: approved (voice vote). - Public defender office: create one full-time assistant public defender (grade 15), retitle a part-time assistant public defender to part-time mental health assistant public defender (grade 8), and create a part-time social services advocate (grade 12, 21 hours/week) effective Jan. 5, 2025. Commissioners said these positions are supported by a Commonwealth indigent defense grant (approximately $97,000). Outcome: approved (voice vote). - Increase voter registration office full-time employees from 35 to 40 hours per week, effective Jan. 6, 2025. Outcome: approved (voice vote). - Approve EHC Associates, Inc. proposal for asbestos abatement consulting services (consultant fee and an hourly/daily air-testing rate were presented; the proposal cited a fixed fee of $23,252 plus a daily air-testing rate of $790). Outcome: approved (voice vote). - Reappoint Sue Werner (Matthews Public Library, Fredericksburg) and Denise Thomas (Myerstown Community Library) to the Lebanon County Library System Board, terms through Dec. 31, 2027. Outcome: approved (voice vote).
What commissioners said: Commissioners thanked staff for work on the budget and noted the county's low workers' comp mod. The motions were typically introduced by department directors and approved after brief or no discussion.
Ending: After approving the resolutions and motions the board adjourned its public meeting and convened the county's annual retirement board meeting to complete pension and administrative items.
