Pottsville Facing $833K Deficit as Budget Talks Open

If every department head in Pottsville government had their druthers, the City would be looking at a deficit slightly more than $833,000.

That was the one big takeaway from the first round of budget talks on Tuesday at City Hall.

During the City’s opening budget meeting, department heads presented their wish list for 2026. But considering the size of the deficit and the restriction on a tax increase caused by the countywide property tax reassessment, those lists are going to have to be reined in.

A second budgeting session is scheduled for Nov. 19. During that meeting, Council members will have to decide what, if anything, from those wish lists will make it into next year’s budget.

Due to the reassessment, Pottsville, like all municipalities, must be revenue-neutral in its collection of property taxes. That means it can’t budget collecting one penny more from property taxes in 2026 than it did in 2025.

The city is permitted to raise taxes up to 10% after its revenue-neutral millage is set.

Department Heads Present Wish Lists to City Council

The city’s biggest expenses are its police department and employees.

Police Chief John Morrow would like to add four officers and a new patrol vehicle to the department next year.

Right now, Pottsville is down to a roster of 19. At this time last year, it had 20.

With those extra four officers, Morrow told council members that the department can have up to five police on the streets for every one of the four daily shifts.

That extra manpower could give Pottsville police the ability to bring back foot patrols and have plain-clothes officers working night shift, Morrow said.

If there was one thing he’d be willing to forgo in 2026, Morrow said it would be the new patrol vehicle. He presented an estimate of $70,000 for a new one.

The costs associated with the City workforce are going up next year, too, and some costs right now are unavoidable.

For instance, Acting City Administrator Lisa Shuman noted, healthcare costs are expected to rise 18%.

“We have a very rich benefit,” she said.

One suggestion was negotiating with the public employees union, AFSCME, to get City employees to kick in more for co-pays and a deductible on their health insurance.

The city is also spending about a half-million dollars next year for employees who retired with guaranteed benefits for life.

Street Dept. employees are also set to get a $2.96 per hour raise in 2026. City Hall employees will get a $1.25 bump. Those raises are per the union contract.

Superintendent Tom Whitaker requested one more employee for his department and Councilman Tom Wood said he believes the Code Enforcement department needs another person.

Shuman said a third code enforcement officer is already budgeted for 2026.

Fire Chief Jim Misstishin – who requested a raise in his salary of more than 30% in 2026 – suggested that a code enforcer could pay for themselves and more by generating revenue through targeting blighted properties around the city.

Whitaker added, “One of the reasons I’m asking for another guy is blight.”

Pottsville’s Animal Control Officer, Andrew VanArsdale, also requested a raise from $40,000 to $56,000.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN: In a follow-up story, we’ll take a deeper dive into a suggestion made Tuesday by Misstishin for Pottsville to implement a Fire Tax on property owners.

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