Tara Zrinsky, who identified herself at the Nov. 20 meeting as Northampton County controller, used her public comment period to criticize a proposed ordinance that would increase the county's minimum fund-balance stabilization requirement to 10 percent. Zrinsky said the change was "an unfunded mandate" and that, in the context of the FY2026 budget, it "fails to meet our county's statutory and moral obligations while burdening future administrations."

Zrinsky described program cuts and funding gaps in the proposed budget: she said the LEAP program and court-ordered Pine Brook services will be cut effective Dec. 31, 2025; she said county contributions to the pension and retiree health care were not included in the proposed budget. "This pension alone requires 11 to $12,000,000 per year," she said, and she estimated a budgetary shortfall of roughly $14,800,000 heading into 2027. She urged the council not to codify a 10 percent minimum that cannot be met under current revenue assumptions.

Council members acknowledged the warning and debated whether the stabilization fund should be protected for emergencies (state budget impasses, disasters) or used as a routine budget tool. The transcript records a series of procedural and amendment attempts after the controller's remarks and a recorded roll-call vote later in the meeting.

Zrinsky concluded by urging careful consideration of statutory obligations and the county's long-term fiscal health; council members said they would continue deliberations in upcoming hearings.