Lehigh County Executive Bill Hansell highlighted financial stability and resident safety in his "State of Lehigh County" program at Brookside Country Club March 28.

Hansell said the county has endured through the fiscal downturn in previous years and has remained financially viable.

"Any way you measure it, the state of our county finances is strong," Hansell said.

He said county employees have participated more fully in their own healthcare through the past seven years, saving money for county residents. He also said 143 full-time positions have been reduced in the same period.

These reductions and adaptations have been accepted by employees without arbitration or unresolved contract disputes.

Hansell said he is a "strong believer in continuous improvement," telling the audience there is always more work to be done.

He said his administration would like to implement a performance management program for all departments of county government while working on priority based budgets in the future.

Hansell proudly highlighted a report by the Fourth Economy Community Index rating Lehigh County as the seventh best large-sized county in the nation for growth in 2012.

He said the county government has been able to be successful while reducing its size.

"The budget is $50 million lower than 2010," Hansell said.

He said $20 million is set to be saved through the recent courthouse renovation with tax dollars also coming in through projects such as Coca-Cola Park and the Trexler Nature Preserve.

Hansell said more than 20 bridges have been repaired and over 20,000 acres of farmland have been preserved in the county in the past seven years.

"One of the things that has made this job a real pleasure is the cabinet," Hansell said.

He said Lehigh County is Pennsylvania's largest county, with "over 350,000 residents, tens of thousands of businesses and over 125,000 properties."

With 25 different municipalities in the county, he said there can be confusion between responsibilities of the county versus municipalities. He also said there are challenges with land use development and safety.

"We have made a commitment to public safety and justice," Hansell said. "We want Lehigh County to be a safe place to live."

He said 70 cents of every tax dollar in Lehigh County goes toward safety and crime reduction.

He said Central Booking has streamlined the system for officers, getting police back on the street quickly after making an arrest.

Hansell also talked about the county's new "state of the art 911 Center" which is designed to reduce response time to county residents, getting the proper agencies to the scene as needed.

He said there will be a new Lehigh County Detoxification Center operated by White Deer Run to help county residents with drug related issues. Hansell said no tax dollars were put into this new facility.

Hansell also said the water system is set to be a major issue in the future. He said privatization has worked well in other areas but with essential services, such as water, it is important to avoid a monopoly.

The program was sponsored by the East Penn Chamber of Commerce and the Western Lehigh Chamber of Commerce.