This morning, the Indiana County Commissioners were presented with the draft budget for 2024, but it was not approved by the board for advertisement.
The budget includes a 1.7 mill tax increase, raising the real estate tax to 6.605 mils. The total revenues under the plan would come to $58,336,995 while expenditures would come to $56,669,147. Commissioners Chairman Mike Keith said the county in his opinion needs to get back on track.
Commissioner Sherene Hess called it a difficult time for the county, and in good faith, she could not accept the budget. She also commented that every year that she has been in office, the county has operated with a deficit.
The general budget will go back for further work before it will be presented to the Commissioners once again.
In other business, the commissioners accepted a settlement from McKinsey and Company, a consulting firm that allegedly worked with opioid manufacturers to aid them more widely market opioid drugs. While Indiana County’s cut was not announced, the national settlement comes to $207 million.
