It’s official — during a meeting Wednesday, the Schuylkill County Commissioners formally approved the 2019 budget, which has no tax increase.

“The process began in August,” Director of Finance Paul Buber said before the meeting. “We adopted the preliminary budget in November and there have only been minor tweaks here and there for the final budget.”

The significant cost drivers in county operations are compensation paid to all employees, cost of health care, general fund contribution to human service agencies, outsourcing housing for prison inmates, general fund contribution to 911 operations and judicial/court operations.

For the 2019 budget, the total expenditures are $146,187,859 offset by total revenue of $135,370,068. The approximately $5.3 million shortfall will be drawn from a portion of the General Fund Balance, which is restricted for program purposes, and from the General Fund unassigned fund balance.

The 2019 real estate millage will remain at 15.98 mills, which includes 15.38 mills for the general fund account and 0.60 mills for the 2019 funded debt account. In simple figures, that’s 153.8 cents for each $100 of assessed valuation.

The $5.3 million shortfall mirrors the $5.3 million shortfall in the Human Services Agencies, where expenditures are $43,374,983, which are not completely covered by the revenue from federal and state funding, which will be $37,947,337.

In his presentation, Buber put those numbers in simple terms — federal and state funding covers about 88 percent and the county contributes the remaining 12 percent, which equals $5.3 million.

“It’s the unfunded mandates,” Buber said. “That number increases from year to year.”

After the meeting, Commissioner Gary Hess said that the cost of covering the “unfunded mandates” is one of the county’s toughest challenges.

“It’s the biggest one that hits us all the time,” Hess said. “The federal and state (officials) have their responsibilities, but when they pass them down to us, they have a responsibility to help us pay for them.”

Commissioners’ Chairman George Halcovage said that the commissioners as a united board strive to maintain a close working relationship with their elected officials in the state.

The commissioners will be meeting with newly elected Republican Dan Meuser, of Pennsylvania’s 9th Congressional District, which includes all of Carbon, Lebanon, Montour and Schuylkill counties and parts of Berks, Luzerne and Northumberland counties.

During his budget presentation, Buber said that all Pennsylvania counties are facing similar budget challenges. The commissioners praised Buber, County Administrator Gary Bender, and all the other county officials who contributed to the tight budget.

“We thank the whole administrative team, row offices, managers, employees,” Halcovage said. “They do an outstanding job and continue to try to do more, with less.”

Commissioner Frank Staudenmeier said that although the costs are high, it is “incumbent on the three of us to do our part.” Hess agreed.

“The department of finance keeps a handle on things, and we’re limited to what revenue comes in,” Hess said. “We can still deliver needed services in the coming year — it takes a team, and that’s what’s here in this building.”