Split board of commissioners passes Cambria County budget with no tax hike

EBENSBURG, Pa. – The Cambria County commissioners approved a balanced budget with no tax increase by a split vote Thursday.

The budget, which includes the use of about $6.7 million from the county’s fund balance to level the expected $67.7 million in operating revenues and expenses, passed 2-1, with Commissioner Thomas Chernisky casting the “nay” vote.

“A budget is a framework for expected revenues and expenditures,” President Commissioner Scott Hunt said. “It is my belief that this budget being passed today is a good budget and that we will be able to work within the framework of this budget.”

Chernisky disagreed.

“I believe that this budget has uncertainties and is too much dependent on cash reserves,” he said.

Chernisky said that Cambria County didn’t have to take out a tax anticipation loan from 2022 to 2024, and he’s concerned that the county now needs a $10 million note for 2025. The new loan, which will help cover expenses in the new year, was approved unanimously following the budget’s adoption.

“It is a concern of reserves going down,” Chernisky said.

Hunt rebutted that a fund balance of $10.3 million was used to balance the 2024 budget and received a unanimous vote from the board at the time.

Cambria County Controller Ed Cernic Jr. shared similar concerns to Chernisky’s. He said that he was worried that tax revenues continue to trend downward and that the cost of everything is rising.

Cernic added that he was also dismayed by the use of the fund balance and the need for a $10 million tax anticipation note. In a separate interview with The Tribune-Democrat, the controller said he is concerned that county spending may outpace the budget in 2025.

“I don’t want to see us go back to the position we were in,” Cernic said, alluding to the low bond rating and deficit spending of the past.

However, he said, he didn’t want to make it sound like the people preparing the budget weren’t diligent in their efforts. He was just left with several questions after reviewing the file.

The budget was prepared by new Cambria County Chief Clerk Alex Ashcom, who worked closely with county staff and leaders to create it. He said the preparation of the budget was a “long and tiresome process,” but he was grateful to everyone who helped.

“I just wanted to say I do appreciate all the directors and the department heads, other elected folks here at the county,” Ashcom said. “I know I’m the new guy on the block, but I think we all came together … to get this done. I’m very grateful that we have good people that work here at the county to get things done.”

Ashcom is projecting a roughly 2% decrease in revenue for the coming year, with countywide revenues expected to be $216.1 million and expenses to be about $214 million. Those figures represent an increase of about $5 million in revenues and $4 million in expenditures over last year.

The county information technology department’s costs are estimated to decrease from the 2024 rate of $830,000 to $630,000 in 2025, Ashcom said. He credited IT vendor Pitt Bull for “working hard” to streamline the county’s IT services, upgrade infrastructure and cut costs.

Additionally, Ashcom noted an increase in the coming budget for the Cambria County Prison, from $14.4 million to $14.7 million, because he accounted for a full staff at the facility; a 20% decrease in utilities at county facilities because of the installation of LED fixtures; and expected revenue increases due to consolidation of bonds and implementation of the three+one cashVest program.

Upcoming capital improvements that the county has scheduled for the coming year include a new roof for the Cambria County Courthouse in Ebensburg and the Central Park Complex in downtown Johnstown and the construction of a new records storage facility. Ashcom said he expects the savings from other measures to help pay for those projects.

Cambria County’s tax rate will remain at 30.5 mills for 2025 – it will be the ninth consecutive year the commissioners hold the line on taxes. That includes 24.5 mills for general purposes; 4 for debt; 1 for Pennsylvania Highlands Community College; 0.5 for the Cambria County Library system; and 0.5 for the county parks.

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