Monroe County adopts $147.1 million 2025 budget and raises county millage to 5.4773 mills

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt the county's 2025 budget and to set the county millage rate at 5.4773 mills, the board said. The approved 2025 budget totals $147,111,198, including a general fund budget of $87,000,000. The board also adopted the Monroe County Public Library millage rate of 0.185914 mills and a 2025 liquid fuels budget of $457,167.

Jennifer (finance staff) presented the budget details to the board: "The board of commissioners is prepared to adopt the 2025 budget from Monroe County in the amount of 147,100,000.0, including a general fund budget of 87,000,000," she said, adding that the "millage rate is set to 5.4773 mills." She outlined personnel, capital and grant changes included in the final budget packet.

Why it matters: the adopted millage and budget fund county operations, debt service and library services and will affect property tax bills after reassessment rules and common-level calculations are applied. Commissioners said a 1.5-mill increase was intended to address employee pay adjustments and long‑running budget pressures.

Key items in the adopted budget and discussion

- Millage components: The board recorded a county general-purpose millage of 4.9631 mills and a debt-service component of 0.5142 mills, for a combined county millage rate of 5.4773 mills for 2025. The Monroe County Public Library millage was adopted at 0.185914 mills. The board described the 1.5-mill increase as a measured adjustment after a long period without broad raises.

- Overall and general fund totals: The adopted total budget is $147,111,198; the general fund portion is $87,000,000, as stated in the budget presentation.

- Personnel and pay changes: The board approved implementation of a new salary grid that reduces pay grades from 31 to 22. Commissioners and staff said nonunion employees will receive pay increases effective Jan. 1 and on anniversary dates thereafter "based on years and grade imposition." Discussion and questions in the meeting noted that the formal step schedule must be adopted by the county salary board before individual pay lines are finalized.

- Staffing and contracted positions: Since the November presentation there were no additions or deletions to the new personnel total for 2025: the budget includes 20 new county positions and 5.5 contracted IT positions, as reported in the packet.

- Capital and grants: Approved computer capital remains at $407,535. The combined capital projects and county capital reserve total remains $3,099,408. A $200,000 increase in public-safety grant revenue was included for the control center, and packet notes referenced Act 12 and LSA monies related to adjusted awards.

- Revenue and expense adjustments: The packet lists specific adjustments including a $5,000 grant to archives from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, $51,709 in contracted services tied to additional IT positions, a $45,000 contingency increase for prisoner transport, and several smaller adjustments across the district attorney's office, assessment office and domestic relations tied to salary-study reallocations. The packet also shows a net increase across funds compared with the November presentation.

Budget context and longer-term items

Commissioners discussed the county's common-level ratio and reassessment options. The board said Monroe County's common-level ratio had fallen from 100% in the 2019 reassessment to about 50.1% most recently, shifting tax burdens and prompting consideration of a paper reassessment to realign assessed values without a full field reassessment. During questions, a commissioner offered a simple example for residents: "If your value is a at a hundred thousand dollars, it would go up a hundred and $50. Okay?" (attributed to Commissioner (unnamed, presiding)).

Officials also noted that American Rescue Plan (ARP) "lost revenue" flexibility is expiring: the county used ARP lost-revenue authority in prior years (the packet cites about $23,000,000 applied over four years, and $2,400,000 used in the most recent budget cycle) and said this is the last year that mechanism is available to the county.

The packet and discussion also referenced a court case affecting county revenues (referred to in the meeting as the HRP court decision) and a Centurion-related figure; the transcript did not provide full case citations or legal documents in the record.

Votes at a glance: - Adopt county millage rates for 2025 (4.9631 general purpose; 0.5142 debt service; total 5.4773 mills): approved (motion carries). - Adopt Monroe County Public Library millage rate (0.185914 mills): approved (motion carries). - Adopt 2025 county budget ($147,111,198 total; $87,000,000 general fund): approved (motion carries). - Adopt 2025 liquid fuels budget ($457,167): approved (motion carries).

What comes next

The new salary grid and specific step placements must be adopted by the county salary board; commissioners said staff will return with formal salary-board numbers and that raises for nonunion employees will start Jan. 1 and on anniversary dates. The board did not provide an itemized, resident-level tax-bill calculation tied to the reassessment; staff advised the reassessment and its timing will determine individual impacts.

The budget presentation and vote included specific line-item changes and grant adjustments recorded in the meeting packet. Commissioners and staff asked residents with detailed questions about reassessment or step placements to follow up with county fiscal and human-resources staff when the salary-board materials are posted.