Schuylkill County Commissioners on Wednesday approved the government’s final 2025 budget. And it came with a little bit of a surprise but not a big surprise.
The proposed 3.5-mill tax increase that was included in the preliminary 2025 budget is now a 3.25-mill increase. That’ll mean for every $1,000 in assessed value of a property, an owner must pay $3.25 more than they did in 2024.
Commissioners said between the passage of the preliminary budget and Wednesday, about $600,000 in budget cuts were identified. Following the Commissioners Work Session meeting on Wednesday, Chairman Larry Padora said the cuts were related to the 38 unfilled jobs in County government and some more savings off the prescription drug plan, mostly.
Padora said the initial figure by taking the weight-loss drug Wegovy out of the actuary was a “roundabout” number but the actual number saw the County saving a little bit more money.
In a previous report, The Canary noted how the County said it expected to spend about a half-million dollars on Wegovy in 2025 before it was taken out of the actuary.
The 3.25-mill increase is still a tough pill to swallow for many property owners in Schuylkill County who’ve been whalloped by tax increases by just about every taxing body this year: County, Muncipal, and School. On top of that, many municipalities are renegotiating their trash hauling contracts and getting a dose of sticker shock from the difference in price from when they last inked deals with haulers.
For instance, on Tuesday, Port Carbon borough voted to raise taxes 3 mills and said trash bills would be at least 64% higher than they were in 2024. Taxpayers there were also dealt a 1-mill tax increase by Pottsville Area School District earlier this year.
The City of Pottsville voted recently to adopt a 2025 budget that has a 3-mill tax increase in it, too. It’s a story being repeated across Schuylkill County, so the County’s announcement on Wednesday may have brought about a little relief, it’s hardly going to make up for the rough year property taxpayers have endured this year.
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