Schuylkill County’s four-year contract with an auditing firm will be almost $60,000 less than its last four-year contract with the same firm.

The contract with Zelenkofske, Axelrod LLC, Harrisburg is for an annual single audit of all financial records for the years ending in December 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. The total contract cost is $329,450. The county previously contracted with the same firm for four years at a rate of $388,902.

During a meeting Wednesday, Director of Finance Paul Buber said that the county’s purchasing and finance departments have implemented operational strategies that increase efficiency. As a result, the cost of the annual audit is reduced.

The county’s financial team — Buber, County Administrator Gary Bender and Financial Analyst Chris Kerns — sent requests for quotes to eight qualified CPA firms. Four responded and the financial team negotiated with the two most qualified firms, Maher Duessel, Harrisburg, and Zelenkofske, Axelrod. The savings are $59,452 compared to the prior four-year contract.

The commissioners also approved an administration budget adjustment of $301,134 from 2019, as advised by Buber. The budget adjustment was expected — the county settled a contract with AFSCME — Local 1512 in January 2019. The contract had expired in 2017 and the money is for back pay from 2017 and 2018. The monies were estimated and set aside in the county’s contingency fund for that purpose.

AFSCME — Local 1512 includes central services, assessment, tax claim, MIS, the Schuylkill Conservation District and Agricultural Extension Office, controller, 911 communications and emergency management, election bureau, planning and zoning, coal lands, bridge crew, engineering, solid waste, public works/maintenance, Veterans, coroner, treasurer and recorder of deeds.