Schuylkill Commissioners Approve 2026 Preliminary Budget, Facing $11.5M Shortfall

Schuylkill County Commissioners approved the government’s 2026 preliminary budget Wednesday but they’re facing an $11.5 million shortfall.

That difference must be made up through a combination of budget cuts and tapping into the County’s approximate $25 million unassigned fund balance before a final budget is passed in December.

Schuylkill County Finance Director Glenn Geissinger laid out the preliminary 2026 spending plan for Commissioners at their work session meeting on Wednesday morning.

In it, he’s proposing a new millage rate (factoring in the certified new property valuations, post-reassessment) of 4.101. Of that, 3.974 mills will go toward the general fund account. And 0.127 mills will fund the debt account.

If the millage rate he’s proposing is approved when the final budget is adopted next month, a property owner will pay $4.101 on every $1,000 of assessed value. That’s the new assessment valuation.

That 4.101 mills does include a 10% tax increase over last year. The County government and municipalities are permitted to increase taxes 10% after they certify a revenue-neutral millage after the conclusion of the reassessment.

For context, at this time last year, the County was looking at a $13 million deficit. Taxes were raised last year 3.25 mills (using the old assessment).

However, Commissioners Chairman Larry Padora tells The Canary he will not vote for a 2026 budget that includes a tax increase.

Schuylkill County’s new, revenue-neutral millage will be approximately 3.729. Last year’s millage was 19.23. That new millage is an approximation right now because some property owners are still going through the appeals process at Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas. The results of those appeals could make the millage adjust slightly before the final budget is passed.

Like it seems to be every year, rising County employee healthcare costs is one of the main reasons expenses increase, according to County officials. They said Wednesday that they were looking at a 16% increase over last year for employee health insurance but after negotiations with providers, it’s now a 13.8% increase. That equals about $2.8 million over last year’s cost.

There are other expenses currently included in the preliminary budget that could be excluded to help slash the shortfall.

For example, Padora noted, there’s $3.7 million for a fire training school in Schuylkill County. That figure could come right off the top of the proposed spending because the County is anticipating grant funding to cover that. However, it’s currently included in the budget.

Geissinger is proposing a countywide hiring freeze and eliminating all non-essential travel, limiting it to trips for officials and employees for required certifications. He also proposed increasing fees for certain services, but did not provide details on those services.

The preliminary budget is expected to be posted online and available for public inspection at the Courthouse by the end of this week. A vote on a final budget will come in mid-December.

^{PHOTO: Finance Director Glenn Geissinger lays out the preliminary budget for 2026.}

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