HOLLIDAYSBURG - A study of Blair County government operations found no immediate source of revenue to ease the county's financial problems.
It offers 19 recommendations, however, that will help the county reach a point when expenditures no longer outpace revenue, said Barry McMeekin, a consultant with the Government Finance Officers Association, with headquarters in Chicago.
Commissioners, who released the document Thursday, praised the study as informative, valuable and well worth the $85,000 cost paid by two state supported sources. Additional information, with long-term projections, is due in December.
One of the 19 recommendations suggests increasing the property tax ratio from 75 to 100 percent. That would allow commissioners the option of increasing real estate taxes to bring in new revenue, thereby creating some budgetary ''breathing room.''
The study described the ratio increase as cheaper and faster than reassessment.
It was the single recommendation Commissioners Terry Tomassetti and Diane Meling spoke against.
''Now is not the time to talk about reassessment or a ratio change,'' Meling said. ''At this time, we need to find new ways of doing things.''
Tomassetti said he wants to keep looking for more efficient ways to operate county government, including reduced services and reduced hours.
''The easy solution is tax more. ... That's a last resort,'' Tomassetti said.
Commissioner Donna Gority described changing the property tax ratio as abhorrent because it does nothing to address an unfair taxing system based on an outdated property assessment. But she said she would favor it to ''to raise the visibility of the unfairness'' and to bring new money.
''I don't think there's anything in this study that keeps us from needing more revenue,'' Gority said.
Another recommendation is to form a team that will plan for the eventual divestment of Valley View Home. The home is operating at a deficit that the county, as owner, is obligated to cover.
''While operating a nursing home may at one time have been consistent with the county's mission of caring for the indigent, the rise of private sector alternatives and federal government services for the indigent may mean that a county-owned nursing home is no longer required,'' the study states.
Commissioners took no immediate stance on that recommendation. Meling said she wants to allow Affinity, the agency hired to manage the home, some more time to get the home operating on a break-even basis.
McKeekin praised commissioners for hiring Finance Director Tim Brown, another recommendation in the study, and made suggestions Brown could pursue to save time and money.
"Blair County is a $90 million-plus organization and the commissioners, as chief executives, require professional financial analysis and management support,'' the study states.
McKeekin also praised the county's employees and advised organizing teams to explore ideas, with support from commissioners.
''The employees of Blair County know the organization better than anyone and are in the best position to help the county become financially sustainable,'' the study states.
