Blair County commissioners to increase pension plan funding

Retirement board recommends adding more than $300K to pension plan budget

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- The Blair County Retirement Board is recommending commissioners budget nearly $304,000 more in 2027 toward supporting the county's underfunded pension plan.

The recommendation means the county's general fund, targeted to provide the pension fund with almost $6.08 million by the end of December, is being asked to allocate $6.38 million in 2027.

Commissioners, who sit on the retirement board with Controller A.C. Stickel and Treasurer Jim Carothers, are aware of the recommendation that will need to be considered as they build and balance the 2027 spending plan.

Commissioner Laura Burke, who chaired Wednesday's retirement board meeting in the absence of Commissioner Dave Kessling, said the $6.38 million recommendation was mentioned during a budget session earlier this week.

Burke, along with fellow Commissioner Amy Webster, Stickel and Carothers, voted in favor of the retirement board recommendation.

Stickel, retirement board secretary, also mentioned that the $6.38 million recommendation follows a policy of recommending a 5% increase in support by the general fund.

That policy, approved in 2021 and amended in 2024, developed from a desire to address factors contributing to a report showing the pension plan with liabilities of almost $93 million.

Based on an actuarial report completed earlier this year by Foster & Foster consultants, liabilities are down to $66.8 million as of Jan. 1, 2026, a reflection of subsequent contributions and investment earnings.

That same actuarial report also used available information, including continued funding increases, investment earnings, monthly distributions and anticipated retirements, to predict an increase in the pension fund's liabilities through 2034 that will be followed by decreases through 2051 when the plan is shown with no liability and is deemed to be fully funded.

The $6.38 million recommended contribution for 2027 represents a significant increase since 2016, when commissioners allocated $1 million in general fund revenue toward the county's pension plan. In subsequent years, commissioners kept increasing the general fund's allocations in addition to real estate taxes generating revenue to pay the higher amounts.

Finance Director Lindsay Dempsie said Wednesday a portion of the proposed $6.38 million recommendation will be offset with revenue that eligible county departments recover in 2027 from state and federal resources. Depending on the recovered amounts, real estate revenue of about $4 million to $5 million will be needed to cover the proposed $6.38 million contribution, Dempsie said.

Stickel also mentioned Wednesday that Foster & Foster has set up a portal for active members of the pension fund, which will offer online information about their contributions to their pension and interest earnings.

The portal will also allow current employees to fill in targeted retirement dates and generate information, Stickel added.

"We've come a long way from our 4-by-6 cards," Burke said, in reference to the former record-keeping system.

The retirement board also approved the pending refund of pension contributions by former deputy treasurer Brenda A. Bryan that will be paid to the county's Cost and Fines Department.

Stickel confirmed that Bryan submitted a letter requesting the action that will prompt the transfer of about $7,000.

Bryan, who remains free on unsecured bail, was charged in July 2025 with felony theft for stealing nearly $18,000 from the county for gambling. Charges filed by Hollidaysburg police indicate that she retained cash deposits in late 2024 through early 2025.

Her criminal case is slated for review on Oct. 29 before Judge Louis C. Schmitt Jr.

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