HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County commissioners voted Tuesday to introduce the 2025 budget, an action which puts the proposed spending plan and related reserve accounts on public display through the end of December.

Commissioners, who convened several budget meetings in October and November, settled on increasing real estate taxes by 0.361 mills — 8% — pending approval at their Dec. 31 meeting.

As of Tuesday, commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling and fellow commissioners Amy Webster and Laura Burke showed no interest in budgetary changes prior to the Dec. 31 vote.

If it passes, property owners will see their county real estate tax bills increase in 2025, based on a levy of 4.883 mills, up from 4.522 mills. For the owner of a property in Blair County assessed at $100,000, the increase means the annual tax bill goes from $452.20 to $488.30.

By law, county commissioners are allowed to make changes to their budget proposals, according to a manual for county commissioners distributed by the state. But if those changes involve more than 10% of the proposed budget or 25% of any budget function, then the revisions could need to be publicly displayed for an additional 10 days.

As reviewed during a Nov. 21 budget presentation, the county’s 2025 budget shows revenue projected at $49.48 million, which includes $38.81 million in real estate tax revenue and reflects the proposed 0.361 mill increase.

Because the $49.48 million fell short of the county’s 2025 expenses projected at $53.04 million, Finance Director Lindsay Dempsie calculated the need to use $3.56 million in reserve funds to balance the spending plan.

The budget presentation also identified salaries as the county’s largest budgeted expense at $16.44 million in 2025, up from $15.77 million budgeted for 2024.

The budget also showed that by department, the prison’s operations are the most expensive, budgeted in 2025 at $15.58 million, up from $13.93 million in 2024.

Information about the 2025 budget proposal can be found on the county’s website at www.blairco.org.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.