County taxes may drop one mill

BY STACI WILSON

The 2011 proposed county budget hit the table for review Monday with general real estate taxes lowered by one mill.

At the Nov. 24 county commissioners meeting, millage for 2011 was set at 10.5 mills for general real estate for the general fund; 1.01 mills for debt service; and .33 mills for the library fund.

Total millage for real estate in the county was set at 11.84 mills.

It’s currently 12.84 mills.

Chief Clerk Sylvia Beamer said a $1.8 million carryover from 2010 played a tremendous role in the county’s ability to lower the taxes. Accounting for the carryover was increased revenue in some county offices and outstanding grant funds from prior years received by the county.

The county’s $20.4 million 2011 budget has allocated increases in some areas but those increases are offset by decreases in other areas, said Chief Clerk Sylvia Beamer.

For example, Beamer said, line items not utilized in a department might be allocated elsewhere in that department’s budget or to a different department.

“It’s taken a lot of fiscal responsibility on the part of all the elected officials to keep their needs at a minimum,” Beamer said.

She added the budget process was really a group effort. “We asked the department heads to be as conservative as possible to make the budget work.”

The proposed budget is available for the public to review at the Commissioners Office in the Susquehanna County Courthouse. The commissioners are expected to vote on the budget at the Dec. 22 meeting