Monroe County adopts 2025 budget, sets county millage at 5.4773 mills

Monroe County officials voted to adopt the county's 2025 millage rates and budgets during a regularly scheduled meeting where commissioners approved a combined county millage rate of 5.4773 mills, a Monroe County Public Library millage rate of 0.185914 mills, and the county's 2025 budget.

Speaker 5, the meeting presenter, told the board they were prepared to adopt the 2025 county budget and described key revisions, including a reported 1.5-mill increase that remained part of the proposal and personnel changes that include pay increases for nonunion employees effective Jan. 1 and a move to a compressed salary grid (22 pay grades, down from 31). "The board of commissioners is prepared to adopt the 2025 budget," Speaker 5 said during the presentation. The budget figure stated later in the meeting was $147,111,198.

The board approved the county millage by voice vote after the rates were read aloud as components (4.9631 mills for general purpose and 0.5142 mills for debt service) that together total 5.4773 mills; Speaker 1 called the voice vote and announced "Motion carries." The library millage of 0.185914 mills was also approved by voice vote. The board subsequently approved the county's 2025 budget (stated as $147,111,198) following a motion and second. A separate 2025 liquid fuels budget of $457,167 was approved on a voice vote as well.

During the budget presentation, Speaker 5 outlined revenue and expense changes: approved computer capital at $407,535 remained unchanged; grant revenue for public safety rose by $200,000 to support the control center; and a $5,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission was listed for archives. Net changes in the general fund lines were described as relatively small (a net $18,132 change was cited in presentation materials). Speaker 5 said there were 20 new personnel positions across departments and "five and a half" contracted employees planned for IT.

Board members and participants discussed longer-term pressures on the tax base. Speaker 1 described the impact of a court-related reduction (referenced as the "HRP" matter) and said the county cannot levy an earned-income tax that some townships and boroughs use, which shifts more reliance onto property taxes. Speaker 1 outlined common level ratio history used in assessments (100% in 2019, 60.5% in 2022, and 50.1 currently) and said the county intends to pursue a "paper reassessment" using prior reassessment data to rebalance valuations. When asked for an example of household impact, Speaker 1 said that on a $100,000 value the change would increase the county portion by about $150.

Questions from county employees focused on the new salary-step grid and how employees (including corrections sergeants) will move through steps. Speaker 7 said the salary-grid changes will be considered at the salary-board meeting scheduled for Jan. 6, at which time the specific salary figures will be available and a formal adoption can occur. Speaker 1 emphasized that the salary schedule must be adopted by the salary board before pay changes take effect.

The meeting record shows all budget and millage approvals were taken by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript. The commissioners adjourned after approving the items and thanking staff for preparing the materials.