$85,000 study finds no immediate solution to Blair budget
By Kay Stephens, kstephens@altoonamirror.comFact Box
Government Finance Officers Association's recommendations:
1. Prioritize services, distinguishing between mandated and nonmandated ones.
2. Create teams of employees to look for efficiencies. Offer incentives.
3. Modify the accounting system to accept and provide more financial information (The county started this.)
4. Hire a finance director. (Completed in August.)
5. Expenditure audits, use motion detectors on lights, promote usage of e-mail and electronic documents, review copier and maintenance contracts, consider self-service measures and posting forms on the county's Web site.
6. Cut red tape involved in hiring employees.
7. Consider forming groups of shared personnel and review jobs for duplication. Consider efforts to consolidate similar programs and departments.
8. Increase property tax assessment ratio from 75 percent to 100 percent.
9. Use money from reserve accounts that are funded by fees or other sources.
10. Set up an employee recognition program for innovative ideas.
11. Form a team to develop a plan and timeline for divesture of Valley View Home.
12. Improve scheduling issues linked with use of sheriff deputies and constables.
13. Develop a standard overtime policy covering compensation and compensatory time.
14. Consider contracting with a grant writer.
15. Develop a fee and charge schedule that notes the rates, when they're set, when they expire and any other related information. Review services that do not have fees.
16. Develop a communications strategy to explain what is being done to reach a balanced budget.
17. Verify that all bank accounts are interest-bearing and that tax collectors are forwarding money on a timely basis.
18. Purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles, keep inventory at a minimum, regularly evaluate vendors and investigate a collective contract for interpreters.
19. Consider outsourcing jobs, such as payroll processing.
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» View the financial reports.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.
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epoch1
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10-18-08 4:31 PM
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What ever happened to WORKING for what you have? The Gov't needs to quit supporting everybody with my/our money. We need a smaller Gov't and more self respect.
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Aces20
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10-17-08 4:01 PM
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I've said it numerous times before.. and I'll say it again... SELL or LEASE THE AIRPORT and SELL THE LAND!!
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Raccoon
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10-17-08 3:18 PM
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Of course we should reassess! It's been over 50 years, for God's sake! If you own a "newer" home in the borough, you are outragiously overtaxed. My home is worth a third of the value of some older "historic" homes, and I pay THREE TIMES the taxes. My borough home is valued at approx. $140,000 (guessing); my annual combined taxes are near $3,000. Can anyone say that is fair????? I would be moving if my husband would go for it.
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jimdandy
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10-17-08 1:05 PM
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Correction "streamline" Oh, by the way, that is not why I'm not there anymore.
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jimdandy
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10-17-08 1:02 PM
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The company I used to work for use to hire consultants all the time, to figure out how to organize and steamline our business. They always left scratching their heads and wasting the companies money. Then they finally brought in a "Hatchett Man" and just started firing overpaid-overhead personnel! This achieved some success.
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voiceofreason
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10-17-08 12:35 PM
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This was pure genius at work. Spend $85g and ask all departments to cut back %20. I would like a detailed account of why reassessment is not the answer from those commissioners who are against it and specific cases of other places that have been reassessed and it failed. It appears that maybe two of the three commissioners have future political aspirations and feel that being part of reassessment would mean political suicide. our current assessments are base on figures from 50 years ago. Everything has changed since then why not Blair County Government. Somebody please file suit against the county and start this inevitable process.
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KlausVR
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10-17-08 11:44 AM
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Wow! I think a project group in a Management 101 class at the Campus could have come up with a similar, if not better, list of recommendations.
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LessGov
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10-17-08 11:41 AM
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Federal, state, and local governments are addicted to our money. More and more Americans are becoming addicted to government programs and "solutions". The inevitable result is an economic collapse. What kind of "bailout" are our "public servants" going to come up with to deal with the Social Security and Medicare train wrecks that are coming down the tracks?
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accrmb
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10-17-08 9:48 AM
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Here we go again...our educated commisioners stating that Valley View Home is operating at a deficit. What a crock of crap. Certainly they can adjust the numbers to make it look that way. If you would talk to the prior accountant or administrator of the home,the nursing home actually made money, although this may have changed since Affinity took over. As far as divestment of Valley View Home... how much is still owed in loans vs. what someone would be willing to pay for the home??? I'd like to see the numbers on this. Not to mention, just where do you think those 240 residents are going to live? If the commissioners had any sense as to the problems with healthcare today, they would know that there are only a few nursing homes in the area who don't deny a person admission due to private pay vs. medicaid. Any we elected these people
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TheOneAndOnlySurge
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10-17-08 9:32 AM
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19. Consider outsourcing jobs, such as payroll processing. Seriously, did they even investigate the cost of this. Gee lets have our own under paid individuals do this or lets pay someone else twice as much. Gee which way should we go. How about part time employees earn part time pay and don't receive benefits? Sounds good, so all of the commissioners can take a pay cut and lose their benefits. There that’s worth at least 100,000. Also, if Valley View is so far in the red, why do we keep upgrading it?
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kilgore
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10-17-08 9:22 AM
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whhhaaa???...cut costs?? and actually be responsible stewards of our money??? na****..that can't work??..can it? ....whodathunkit? oh, and raise our taxes...whew..i was getting worried there for a second..
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TheOneAndOnlySurge
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10-17-08 9:19 AM
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"Blair County is a $90 million-plus organization and the commissioners, as chief executives, require professional financial analysis and management support,' the study states. If the morons would listen to Rich Peo, we wouldn't be needing this. The question is now that Brown is there, will anything change or will his recommendations just be cast aside like Peos are.
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TheOneAndOnlySurge
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10-17-08 9:15 AM
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"Tomassetti said he wants to keep looking for more efficient ways to operate county government, including reduced services and reduced hours." Yeah because just stopping everything will help all. Maybe all but the ones who use those services. Why have a county goverment if your going to stop providing services?
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Aces20
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10-17-08 7:17 AM
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$85,000 to tell the commissioners that "there's no way to help you until you become profitable". BRILLIANT!!
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Stormin
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10-17-08 7:17 AM
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SNOOPY and VEEPGEEK--YES!!! Just think, Altoona, totally Dependant on welfare monies, to operate. WOW!! Hey, include that information in your promotional video, to promote Altoona, Pa. The video that will attract people to move here. Indeed. They'll come. The same caliber that came when the drug rehab centers opened. Pennsylvania, the largest garbage importer in the United States, and now the largest addict importer, and welfare State in the America...****e one come all. Go East young man...
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Stormin
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10-17-08 7:12 AM
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WOW...85,000 to say "raise the taxes to 100%!!!! I would of done it for $40,000, and saved the dummy Commissioners 45,000!!! Gority, go ahead and raise my property taxes again. I cannot afford to own my home any longer. So, it has been for sale for 2 weeks now. I have been accepted for section 8 housing. Guess who pays my rent then? Then the article contradicts the 85,000 study and says" '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. Then why the study?
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snoopy16678
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10-17-08 7:10 AM
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heres an idea how about not spending 85,000 to find out how to save money. what an ass.
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VeepGeek
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10-17-08 7:08 AM
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So the county spent the equivalent of 4 full time jobs (at their poverty level pay scale) to find out what any small business owner could have told them for free, had the commissioners had asked. An ad-hoc committee of all volunteer business leaders from the community could have saved $85,000 of our tax money. Way to go commissioners! Another great move. How about each of YOU take a $20,000 pay cut from your highly paid part time job???
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