Schuylkill County officials really didn't want to be Grinches, but they had no choice but to increase the property tax rate by 1 mill to make ends meet next year.

The increase takes the tax rate from the current 13.98 mills to 14.98. That would mean the owner of a property assessed for taxes at $30,000 would pay about $449 in property tax, or about $30 more next year.The rate includes 14.83 mills for the general fund and 0.15 mills for debt service.The per capita tax will be the same at $5.Officials did what they could to contain costs, but some significant expenditures were beyond their control."No one likes to be in a situation where they have to raise any type of taxes. We kept it to a minimum," said Commissioners' Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr.He said the increase could have been higher had the financial team not worked to trim even closer."By applying expense trending techniques, by reviewing narratives submitted by internal stakeholders, by making inquiries to internal stakeholders on their justifications, by applying options for financing of larger capital items, and by finding alternative funding for some initiatives, the financial team was able to generate about $4,543,505 in cost reductions for the 2017 budget," said county Finance Director Paul E. Buber.Halcovage said expenses could not be cut.For example, the additional reporting now required of the county Children & Youth Services Agency since the state expanded reporting laws last year in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.The agency's 2017 budget is $21,125,557."It affects the cost. The problem with incarcerated people, that's a big item. Our 911 system. When it comes to safety and security, we had to put additional monies into our 911 center," Halcovage said. "But we looked at it very carefully, and there was no wiggle room, to say the least."The 911 center has a budget of $6,198,231.Buber thanked department heads, elected officials, commissioners and others for working with a "spirit of cooperation" to keep the increase at a minimum.The 2017 spending plan lists expenditures of $60,099,886 and revenues of $54,915,867.The gap will be filled with $5,184,019 from the general fund's unassigned fund balance.Each mill generates about $2.4 million. The tax collection rate in the county is about 90 percent, Buber said.Commissioner Frank J. Staudenmeier also thanked those who worked on the budget.This is only the second tax increase in 12 years, he said."It's a reflection of the good work you do," he said.Commissioner Gary J. Hess was absent.