SUNBURY – Northumberland County commissioners continue to disagree about the 2017 budget. At their meeting Tuesday, commissioner Sam Schiccatano objected to media coverage saying it gave taxpayers the wrong idea, “The headlines last week after we passed the budget, The Daily Item, which said the $2 million transfer was used to balance the budget. That is not true. That is incorrect.”
The transfer took funds from the debt service fund and put them into the general fund. Controller Chris Grayson said a payment from the state was not received in time to cover some county expenses, “It was literally a timing issue. In order to meet all of our obligations, we had the extra money in debt service, it’s a common practice. We’ve done it in the past and we decided to move money over there, literally for, hopefully, just a couple of weeks.”
According to Grayson, Northumberland County transferred $1.4 million from debt service into the general fund in December 2015 while awaiting funds from the state.
Commissioner Kymberley Best said county spending is outpacing revenues, “It is completely understandable for the average person, taxpayer, to pick up their newspaper and read, ‘Balanced budget’ on one side and ‘Borrowing $6 million’ on the other, in addition building a multi-million dollar facility over numerous acres of land and say, ‘That just doesn’t add up.’”
Best said the purchase of Northwestern Academy will drain county coffers, “It’s dangerous. And sure, this year 2017, on paper, they didn’t have to raise taxes, but you mark my words, there’s no way a multi-million dollar facility can be built with the tax income for our small, poor county.”
Schiccatano said Best’s accusations about the county budget were not based on facts, “All I ask is that you bring in your experts at the next meeting to let us know, or you come to a meeting and let us know what we’re doing wrong because I don’t know that unless I read it in the newspaper.”
To which Best replied, “You purchased Northwestern. That’s what you did wrong.”
The $81.2 million budget was passed December 27 without a vote from Best who was unable to attend the meeting due to a family emergency.
