EBENSBURG — A 6.75-mill tax increase is necessary in order for Cambria County officials to adopt a final 2026 budget and maintain necessary programs and services, according to Chief Clerk Alex Ashcom.

During a hearing Monday in the Cambria County Court of Common Pleas, Ashcom testified before President Judge Linda Fleming justifying the commissioners’ need for the tax increase, which will increase 2026 property tax bills for the average homeowner by $71.58 — about $6 per month.

The hearing was required because, by implementing the tax increase, the commissioners will exceed the 25 mill statutory limits set forth in the county’s code, raising the county’s general purpose millage from 24.5 mills to 30 mills.

According to Ron Repak, the county’s solicitor, 1.25 mills of the budget’s 6.75-mill tax increase will go directly to the county’s debt service fund and remain separate from the 5.5 mills that will go toward the county’s general purpose fund.

Of the 5.5 mills, half a mill is within the commissioners’ purview to enact without court approval and the other five mills were requested during Monday’s hearing, Repak said.

During the hearing, Repak admitted five exhibits into the record — the 2026 adopted county budget, the county’s recent Standard & Poor’s general obligation bond rating and charts depicting the county’s general revenue and expenses, assessed property values and millage inflation rates since 2015.

According to Ashcom, the 318-page $68.7 million budget was advertised Dec. 3 and adopted by a majority of commissioners at a special meeting Dec. 23. Commissioners Scott Hunt and Keith Rager voted in favor of the budget while Tom Chernisky opposed, citing the tax increase as an “excessive” burden on taxpayers.

Through five days of budget hearings in October, Ashcom said the commissioners cut nearly $3.5 million from the budget — $1.8 million in personnel and benefits and $1.6 million in operating costs.

About 25 positions were not filled as a result of those cuts, Ashcom said, noting an additional $35,000 in cuts were made since the budget was advertised for public inspection.

Still, the commissioners’ need for the tax increase remained, Ashcom said, noting the county’s revenues have declined about 12% since 2016 while expenses climbed nearly 30% during the same period.

To save money, Ashcom said officials plan to install 10 to 15 acres of solar panels outside the Cambria County Prison by the third quarter of 2026. Officials are currently in the planning and design stage, and they hope to begin construction by next summer, he said, noting the panels will generate electricity savings for the prison and the Cambria County Courthouse.

Officials also plan to sell two county-owned buildings in 2026, Ashcom said.

Residents speak out against increase

Each of the 12 county residents who spoke during the hearing asked Fleming to deny the county’s petition for the tax increase.

Cambria County Farm Bureau members Marty Yahner and Carissa Itle Westrick asked Fleming to consider that farmers pay a disproportionate amount of taxes than the average homeowner. The 6.75-mill tax increase will result in farmers paying a $3.40 increase for every acre of farmland, according to Ashcom.

Yahner, the bureau’s president, said many of the county’s farmers are rich in terms of having a lot of land but are “cash poor” when it comes to being able to maintain their land. Farmers can’t afford to purchase new equipment because it’s too expensive, he said, noting their prices are regulated and production costs are high.

On behalf of the farm bureau’s 480 member families, Yahner asked county officials to continue making cuts to the budget.

“If you have to cut more staff, please do,” Yahner said.

Ashcom said it “would be hard to describe how devastating that would be” if the county cut its departments another 10% to 20%.

The county has 32 departments and operating organizations that work hard to provide essential services, Ashcom said.

For example, the Cambria County Area Agency on Aging helps address food insecurity for the elderly, Drug and Alcohol staff treat people affected by addictions, the court system enacts justice and the Recorder of Deeds’ staff uphold property rights.

A lot of departments are currently understaffed and are frustrated with their allocations, Ashcom said.

Johnstown resident Dustin Greene said the tax increase will also hurt businesses. He asked county officials if they’ve exhausted all of their options prior to proposing the tax increase.

“Have any of you reduced your salaries,” Greene asked, adding, “I think the pencil sharpening isn’t happening.”

Other residents, like Catherine Duman of Hastings, said they’ve seen many of their friends and family members leave the area due to a lack of employment opportunities.

“I don’t see any path forward in this county for me,” Duman said.

Johnstown resident John DeBartola criticized the budget, noting the commissioners allocated an additional $1 million to CamTran, which reportedly has a fund balance surplus of $13 million.

Ashcom said state officials set public transportation allocations for each county and local entities are responsible for matching 15% of the allocation in order to receive funding from the state.

If entities aren’t currently funding the full 15% — such as the case between Cambria County and CamTran — they have to increase their match by 5% every year until they hit 15%, Ashcom said.

Currently, Cambria County provides about a 12% match for CamTran, Ashcom said, noting the additional $1 million is tied to the state’s requirement.

Before the hearing took place, DeBartola filed a motion seeking to strike Monday’s hearing. He argued that Fleming had a conflict of interest because she’s Facebook friends with President Commissioner Scott Hunt.

Fleming denied his motion, noting she deactivated her Facebook account and can act impartially.

During the hearing, former county commissioner Doug Lengenfelder said the most significant job of a county commissioner is to set the county’s budget.

“It is inexcusable to hit the end of the year and say, ‘Wow, we need a 6.75-mill increase,'” Lengenfelder said, noting the county’s residents haven’t heard what the commissioners’ game plan is to “bring the county back into equilibrium.”

After the hearing, Fleming thanked those who attended and said she will do her “very best” to take their concerns into consideration.

Although it could happen as early as today, there is no time limit for Fleming to make a ruling on the case, Repak said.

‘Enough is enough’

During a press conference after the hearing, Cambria County Controller Ed Cernic said the commissioners don’t have a plan to address the budget deficit. That’s a problem, he said.

“We can’t borrow ourselves to prosperity and that’s just a fact,” Cernic said.

Cernic said he doesn’t believe the county has actually made $3.5 million in cuts. The 25 eliminated positions were not funded through the budget, he said.

Cernic said the commissioners should have approached every department at the start of the year and asked leaders to develop their budget allocations to reflect a 10% cut. But that did not occur, he said.

“There comes a point in time where you have to say enough is enough and we are at that point,” Cernic said, noting if funding from the county’s tax and revenue anticipation note doesn’t come through by next Friday, he’s going to have a problem making the county’s payroll of $1.2 million.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.