County Exec Muller Releases 2016 Budget with NO TAX INCREASE

August 31, 2015 The Valley Ledger

County Exec Muller Releases 2016 Budget with NO TAX INCREASE
Includes Investments in Public Safety, CedarBrook Renovation, Farmland Preservation

(Allentown) Lehigh County Executive Tom Muller today released his administration’s 2016 Proposed Budget at a news conference at the Cedarbrook Nursing Home.

“This year’s budget includes no tax increase,” said Muller. “It’s thanks to Lehigh County’s employees who work hard all year to manage our taxpayers’ money frugally that I am able to continue to propose budgets without a tax increase.”

Muller’s 2016 Budget includes another year without a millage rate increase for Lehigh County’s taxpayers. The total budget is $382.5 million, which represents an increase of less than five percent and is a result of proposed capital spending on Cedarbrook and increased pass-through funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. It also maintains adequate cash reserves.

The budget includes a $40 million bond issuance, $25 million of which would be earmarked for much-needed renovations to the Cedarbrook Nursing Home in Allentown. Due to the favorable bond market and the county’s strong ratings, moving now will result in no tax impact and a minor one-year extension of the county’s very short-term debt portfolio.

The budget also includes $250,000 for farmland preservation, which is significant because it allows Lehigh County to maximize its state funding match.

In addition, this budget continues the administration’s commitment to public safety with the reclassification of ten new positions to our “Law and Order” areas and the funding of two critical public safety vehicles from county gaming revenue.

The Lehigh County Board of Commissioners will now begin its process of reviewing the proposed budget during the next two months.

For more details about Lehigh County’s 2016 Budget you can check out the PDF file below.