SMETHPORT – The McKean County Commissioners on Wednesday
officially adopted the county’s $28.85 million budget, which calls
for no tax increase.

The property tax rate will remain the same at 6.75 mills on
every dollar of assessed value of real estate. Meanwhile, the per
capita tax rate was established at $5.

The spending plan was adopted unanimously, 3-0.

“It’s good to see that for the third year in a row, we have
passed a balanced budget,” Commissioner Chairman Clifford Lane
said.

Commissioner John Egbert said the county not only held the line
on taxes, but also has money in the bank – $280,000 in the general
account.

“We have that much in the bank and no real bills to speak of to
pay,” Egbert said.

The county also received funding through the sale of Sena-Kean
Manor. The commissioners have also often credited the county
running in the black to good management practices.

By comparison, last year the county had a more than $100,000
surplus as part of a $29.13 million budget.

The spending plan offers a fairly conservative set of goals for
the upcoming year, including addressing long-term facility needs,
improving employee productivity and communications through new
technology, funds an operating reserve account to be used for
unexpected expenses – a goal not reached last year – and the
replacement of the Boyer Crossing Bridge, among others.

During a budget presentation earlier this month, officials said
the county is slated to realize $7.99 million from taxes, or 27
percent of the overall budget, according to budget revenues.
Meanwhile, $15.24 million has been set aside for federal and state
revenue, or 53 percent. The county collects revenue through
property and per capita taxes.

In October, the commissioners authorized securing a $3.5 million
tax anticipation note, which will help ease any monetary burden on
the county during the first two months of next year until real
estate taxes being arriving.

In other news, the commissioners unanimously approved entering
into the Pennsylvania Municipal Health Insurance Cooperative, which
will allow the county to garner a substantial savings in vision
insurance premiums for its workers.

The group is a larger cooperative associated with the county’s
current Northern Counties Health Insurance Purchasing Cooperative,
of which it is a founding member and helps with health and
prescription drug coverage.

County Administrator Richard Casey said previously that it
appears the county stands to save upwards of 40 percent on the
premiums under the new vision plan.

Also, the commissioners unanimously approved a resolution which
authorizes the county to enter into a provider contract with the
Cameron Elk Mental Health Mental Retardation Program in
Ridgway.

The move raised some eyebrows at the meeting when considering
the county left the original joinder, CEM, last year to form its
own mental health and mental retardation services through the
McKean County Department of Human Services.

The county dropped out of the joinder – which also included
neighboring Potter County several years ago – because of financial
considerations and a desire to have more control over how the
services were handled.

“This will allow us to share some services where its
appropriate,” Egbert said.

In other news, the commissioners heard from the county’s
Recycling Coordinator Mary Williams about the potential development
of a county program to deal with the recycling of bio-solids.

Williams said she has already been contacted by officials from
two municipalities, Port Allegany and Smethport, about such a
program.

A large amount of bio-solid material is currently sent to the
landfill at great expense to municipalities. Bio-solids are often
transformed into compost for future use.

“We are looking at some pretty cutting-edge stuff in
Pennsylvania,” Williams said, adding the state Department of
Environmental Protection is encouraging intermunicipal cooperation
in this area. “Municipalities are struggling to find a place to put
their waste.”

Officials said grant funding up to $200,000 is available to
study the pros and cons of such recycling, with DEP paying for 80
percent of the costs, while the participating municipalities would
be charged with coming up with the other 20 percent.

Williams said she will be crafting letters regarding the
proposed program and sending them to the municipalities; she would
like to convene a meeting of those interested in either January or
February. For more information, contact Williams.