Wearing a bipartisan purple shirt, Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong unveiled his $514.6 million fiscal plan for 2020 to department heads, staffers, four commissioners and the public on Aug. 30.

Speaking in the public hearing room of the county administration center in Allentown, Armstrong’s budget raises taxes to 5.5 percent which translates into a 3.84 millage rate that is expected to generate $115 million

That would be a $771.84 tax per year on a $201,000 home, according to information provided by Armstrong.

Armstrong noted that amount is about $3 more per month than is currently being spent in property taxes by taxpayers.

The new millage rate is where Armstrong predicted it would be as a result of the Republican-dominated board of commissioners cutting his proposed 2019 budget last year.

“People elected me to do the right thing,” Armstrong said, attributing the phrase to Lehigh County Commissioner Marc Grammes who was in the audience.

“We’re trying to be responsible to the taxpayer,” Armstrong said.

“The process was long with tough decisions.

“It’s been 15 years since an executive presented a balanced budget.

“Only 26 percent of the budget is paid for with property taxes.”

Lehigh County pays a smaller percentage (1.26 percent) of household income, according to Armstrong, than does Northampton County (3.76 percent) or Berks County (2.41 percent).

Sixty-four percent of the budget is paid for with grants and reimbursements; 64 percent of the 2020 budget expenditures are for nursing homes ($46.7 million for construction of a new wing at the Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation Center) and the human services department.

The balance of the budget pays for the courts ($1.3 million for court security upgrades and $9.6 million for courthouse renovations), jail, district attorney’s office, sheriff’s department, the public defender and coroner.

Also paid for from the budget are general services which include bridges, parks, trails, the Velodrome ($420,000 for track resurfacing) and for historic sites, Coca-Cola Park, Trexler Nature Preserve, emergency management and the farmland preservation program ($3 million).

The budget also pays for salaries, benefits and the pension plan ($15 million to the employee retirement plan which is 86.5 percent funded); it pays for administration which includes Lehigh county veteran’s affairs, human resources and the voter registration and election process.

“We made $638,000 in cuts prior to this presentation,” Armstrong said. “We’re trying to predict 18 months ahead. If there is a surplus, I agree with the board that it should go into the capital fund.”

The proposed budget retains the capital fund at $25 million.

“This 2020 budget is fiscally responsible and adheres to the five-year fiscal strategic plan,” Armstrong said. “It prioritizes the protection and security of the most vulnerable among us. It makes a significant investment in our infrastructure and ensures a balanced budget.”

Armstrong said the 2020 budget is critical to ensuring the county stay within Government Finance Officers Association standards.

“It prevents further cuts that would undermine our ability of provide services, promote public safety and to serve the people,” Armstrong said. “It ensures our bond rating remains stable, saving taxpayers money in the long-run, and it protects Lehigh County taxpayers from a more painful and severe tax increase.

“And it keeps the stabilization fund at $25 million through 2023.”

Armstrong said his administration has made every effort to be transparent, accessible and open with commissioners.

“We’ve invited them to the budget [meetings]. We’ve worked to remove politics from the budget process.”

Despite all commissioners being invited to attend, Commissioner Amy Zanelli said in an interview she was the only commissioner who attended all of the budget input and planning meetings.

“This budget was the result of simply looking at the numbers and making realistic decisions based off them,” Armstrong said. “This is about ensuring we maintain a strong bond rating and leave Lehigh County in a strong position for the future.”