Cambria County commissioners adopt new budget, avoid tax hike

Joshua Byers, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

Dec. 22—EBENSBURG, Pa. — The Cambria County commissioners voted unanimously at Thursday's meeting to adopt the county's new budget for next year with no tax increase, and an unreserved fund balance of about $7 million going into 2024.

"Everything's in place," county Controller Ed Cernic Jr. said. "I'm proud of how the commissioners worked together."

The proposed general fund budget is set at $67.7 million for the coming year, and the tax rate will remain at 30.5 mills — 24.5 mills for general, 4 for debt, 1 mill for Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, 0.5 for the Cambria County Library system and 0.5 for the county parks.

"This is the eighth consecutive year that Cambria County has held the line on the budget," President Commissioner Thomas Chernisky said. "Annual expenses are increasing due to inflation, wages and health insurance, but with careful oversight, Cambria County will not have to deficit spend or raise taxes."

Chernisky also touted the work of his and outgoing Commissioner William "B.J." Smith's administration, along with Commissioner Scott Hunt and former Commissioner Mark Wissinger, to cut taxes four times in the past eight years, repair structurally deficient county-owned bridges and remove blighted properties throughout Cambria County. That also includes decreasing the county's debt and increasing its credit rating from BBB to A-, he said.

"I am very proud of the work that Commissioner Smith and I have done," he said.

In total, proposed revenue for next year is roughly $211.2 million — that includes state allocations — and projected expenses are set at $210.4 million.

Some areas of interest in the budget include the Children and Youth Services, 911 center and Cambria County Prison line items.

The 911 center has a proposed budget of $3.8 million next year, roughly even with last year's amount of $3.88 million. The biggest change there is the county's contribution, which has jumped from $368,002 to $729,915 due to grants received in 2023 that are not expected to be awarded next year.

Cambria County's Children and Youth Services budget grew from $15.4 million last year to roughly $17 million in 2024.

The Cambria County Prison budget saw an increase of about $1 million, from $13.2 million in 2023 to $14.4 million for 2024, with a slight decrease in proposed revenues and an increase in expenditures.