Schuylkill County commissioners gave property owners an early Christmas gift on Wednesday: No tax increase for 2016.

Commissioners adopted the new spending plan, which calls for $50,811,765 in revenue and $59,098,802 in expenditures.The property tax rate will stay at 13.98 mills.Of that, 13.83 mills will fuel the general fund and 0.15 will pay debts.That means the owner of a home assessed for taxes at $35,000 will pay $489 in county property tax next year.Each mill generates $2.4 million in revenue, said county Finance Director Paul Buber.Officials tapped the county's reserve fund for $8,287,037 to balance the budget.That leaves the fund at $4,693,830. The account started out on Jan. 1 at $12,980,867, Buber said.The county is required by the government to keep enough money in the fund to cover one month's operating expenses, he said.The $10 million sale of the county nursing home will also help offset the deficit.The account is replenished from leftovers from the general fund.The 2016 spending plan was shaped by a number of factors, including the state budget stalemate and a $187,000 dip in revenue due to a significant drop in assessments.The drop comes at a time when the county is facing higher costs for prison operations, health care benefits, and the Children and Youth Services Agency.Buber said the ongoing state budget stalemate "added layers of complexity" to the crafting of the county spending plan.Commissioners' Chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier said the healthy reserve fund and belt-tightening by county departments and agencies helped keep the tax rate the same as this year.