Butler County finished 2015 flat broke. Every fund was emptied, and many bills left unpaid by the old regime.
Now, the new rookie commissioners have immediately borrowed an astounding $15.5 million to keep the lights on.
Commissioner Kevin Boozel boldly announced, “the county has now donated $1.25 million to BC3.” Did he forget that money was past due from 2015, and he and his colleagues paid it from the huge loan they recklessly borrowed this month?
I personally reviewed, with others, the entire 2016 budget line by line.
Taxpayers will be clobbered with a whopping 3-mill, $5.2 million increase in county taxes. And the county announced an average homeowner will pay “only $65 more” in new taxes?
That is malarkey. I and many others called the County Assessor’s Office, only to find that amount was untrue. It is much more. Call for yourself. Be shocked.
In the budget we found huge padding, omissions, duplications, incorrect entries, poor math — and it all resulted in an uncontrollable, bloated mess leading to a replaced county clerk. Upon request, to verify some entries, the county, after 30 days, could not explain the numbers.
The new, inexperienced commissioners refuse to trim waste and fat, won’t cut the bloated staff of more than 600 employees, and won’t revise the budget.
Taxpayers will face a huge, unneeded tax increase. These novice officials are piling the 3 mill increase on the backs of hard-working taxpayers; definitely taking the easiest way out for the commissioners.
What about the commissioners themselves? They delayed all 3 percent planned raises for non-union employees. But, two of the commissioners quickly grabbed huge wage hikes on the day they were sworn in. Hypocrisy?
The exception was Kim Geyer, who has done the right thing and declined the ludicrous, undeserved pay raise. According to documents provided by the county, Commissioner Leslie Osche was the big winner as her salary skyrocketed to $91,680 from former-chair McCarrier’s 2015 salary of $84,676. An increase of $6,436 or 8.3 percent by just taking office.
Kevin Boozel immediately grabbed an increase to $87,937 — a jump of $6,645 from 2015 levels. Will they join Geyer’s commonsense decision?
The Butler County Commissioners were already the highest paid of all Pennsylvania 4th Class counties, and these outrageous raises show why. All three had the opportunity of declining these mammoth raises and also had an option of cutting their pay when taking office. Geyer made the right choice.
Until blatant waste and horrific budgeting is addressed and overstaffing is corrected, taxpayers will be punished. They will face an estimated $8.8 million deficit this year without the needed expense cuts.
Boozel also announced they need “$30 million soon for future capital improvements.” Reality?
The county needs a professional, complete outside audit as soon as possible, and definite ongoing oversight.
