CLEARFIELD – On Tuesday the Clearfield County Commissioners voted, 2-1, to pass the 2016 budget with a 1-mill real estate tax increase.
Commissioner Joan Robinson-McMillen, chair, and Mark B. McCracken voted in favor. Commissioner John A. Sobel cast the only nay vote.
After the vote, Sobel said he voted nay due to his personal issue on taxes. However, he also expressed his intent to support the new board and the budget.
Robinson-McMillen said the 2016 budget was in the form presented at a previous commissioners’ meeting but with seven amendments. Those amendments included to:
- decrease overtime by $1,400 at the District Judge’s office in DuBois.
- decrease overtime by $1,400 at the District Judge’s office in Clearfield.
- increase to physician by $10,000 at the jail.
- decrease payroll contingency by $7,800.
- decrease DuBois Airport appropriation by $60,000.
- decrease DuBois Airport contingency by $10,000.
- increase miscellaneous conservation and development by $70,000.
When asked after the meeting, Robinson-McMillen explained the amendments involving the DuBois Airport funding.
The commissioners didn’t defund the airport, she said. Instead, she said they opted to move the airport funding allocation under another category.
She noted airport officials will be asked to meet benchmarks in order to receive the funding.
When passing the 2011 budget, the commissioners reduced real estate taxes from 21 to 18.5 mills. The commissioners had maintained the line on taxes since then, according to previous GANT News reports.
The county’s 2016 budget set real estate taxes at 19.5 mills, said Robinson-McMillen. She added: “It’s as lean as any budget can be.”
Sobel said if the commonwealth’s budget stalemate continues into the New Year, the county will likely have to seek funding sources.
McCracken noted that after the New Year, the new board of commissioners will be able to keep the 2016 budget open for a 30-day period.
During the public comment, Clearfield resident Charles Lombardo asked the commissioners about last week’s announcement that TAFCO had plans to expand in 2016.
He asked if the commissioners were contacted first or if TAFCO officials went to Clearly Ahead Development. Sobel and Robinson-McMillen believed Clearly Ahead officials were aware of the expansion plans.
“I think they knew about it and the commissioners lit the fire,” Robinson-McMillen said.
Lombardo said he was glad TAFCO was staying in Clearfield, but he believed the county was “foolishly” spending $160,000 on a contract with Clearly Ahead.
Robinson-McMillen said many people assume Clearly Ahead is affiliated with the commissioners’ office and contact them regarding economic development matters. She said it’s the same with other agencies such as Recreation & Tourism and the Area Agency on Aging.
Because “Clearfield County” appears in the title for these agencies, she said the commissioners’ office fields a lot of calls for them. She said the economic development corporation has been working to improve its marketing.
Robinson-McMillen said the new board of commissioners has plans to meet with Clearly Ahead officials in January. She said there will be benchmarks set for Clearly Ahead, and the new board will likely have an idea if these are being achieved by mid-year.
“You’re paying $160,000 for what?” asked Lombardo. Regarding the TAFCO project, Robinson-McMillen said that Clearly Ahead “took the ball and ran with it.”
She pointed out that TAFCO’s plans would be retaining numerous area jobs and creating more. “We would love for new businesses to come, but we can’t forget the folks that are already here,” she said.
McCracken told Lombardo that TAFCO officials had looked at other, out-of-county options. He said it was “very positive” for a long-standing business to be staying and building in Clearfield County.
Lombardo said he still believed the county was throwing away $160,000. He also mentioned that Clearly Ahead Chief Executive Officer Rob Swales pleaded guilty to charges as a result of an incident at the Toasted Monkey in Hyde in August.
He said at other places of employment, an employee would have either been punished or fired for involvement in such an incident.
Robinson-McMillen told Lombardo the Clearly Ahead board discussed the matter in an executive session and it was handled internally.
Clearfield resident Fred Weaver made the comment that it was a “wimpy move” for the commissioners to throw their hands up and say it was handled internally by the Clearly Ahead board.
He said as leaders they have more power than that, and they should represent all people equally. He pointed out to the commissioners that Swales’ actions during the incident were politically motivated.
Weaver told the commissioners they needed to press the Clearly Ahead board “to do the right thing.” He said Swales’ punishment should be made public.
Robinson-McMillen said the Swales incident was handled by the court system and then internally by Clearly Ahead. She reminded Weaver that no one’s personnel file is made public.
“I don’t think justice has been served here. People who contribute money to Clearly Ahead should be embarrassed,” Weaver said. “Swales should step down or be fired.”
Clearfield resident Frances Selvage said Clearfield County needed to better its school system, save its hospital and to have good churches in order to attract new businesses and families.
Selvage said Clearfield County is missing out on new business opportunities and jobs to other places within the region, such as State College, because the county needs to “fix everything else first.”
