Montgomery County, PA

NORRISTOWN — The Montgomery County Commissioners introduced a $448.2 million budget for 2006 Tuesday that calls for no tax increase.

The owner of a home assessed at $165,410, the county average, would continue to pay $478.04 for the county portion of their real estate taxes next year.

The county tax rate would remain 2.89 mills. A mill equals $1 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The preliminary budget increases spending by $12.6 million (2.9 percent), from $435.5 million to $448.2 million.

Major increases in expenditures include $6 million in salary hikes that will average out to 4.04 percent for the County’s 3,200 employees.

The County contribution to the Montgomery County Community College is up $1.24 million over 2005 and up $111,000 to the Montco-Norristown Public Library. The County’s contribution to mass transportation is also up $190,000.

Given that recent economic indicators suggest Montgomery County residents will face inflationary pressures in the coming year, the Commissioners decided to take an additional $7.5 million from the fund balance to spare taxpayers from carrying any additional tax burden in the coming year. That figure is going to $9.7 million from $2.2 million last year.

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The revenues various county departments gather through fees and billings are expected to increase by $857,000 (1.75 percent) from $48.91 million to $49.76 million.

Grants the county receives from the state and federal governments to deliver human services are expected to increase by $1.68 million (just under 1 percent), from $180.17 million to $181.85 million.

Emphasizing their commitment to protecting the residents of Montgomery County, the Commissioners also introduced a $32.9 million Capital Fund budget for 2006 that has $11.6 million for public safety. Included in that figure are $7.4 million for a state of the art Emergency Operations Center and $2.95 million for improvements to training facilities at the County Fire Academy.

The Commissioners are planning to spend $25.1 million on open space preservation in 2006 as well. That is part of the $150 million 10-year open space program that voters approved by an overwhelming 78 percent in 2003. The open space spending plan includes $4.5 million for recreational trail and greenway development, $5 million for municipalities to make purchases and $4 million for farmland preservation.

A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Tuesday, December 6^th, in the Commissioners Board Room on the 8^th floor of One Montgomery Plaza, directly across Swede Street from the Montgomery County Court House. Final Budget adoption is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 21^st.