Schuylkill County Controller Christy D. Joy has released Schuylkill County's third annual Friendly Understandable Financial Statement.

"As an elected official, I report to the taxpayers of Schuylkill County," he said. "In the spirit of greater transparency, the charts and graphs make the financial details easier to digest. The condition of Schuylkill County's finances should be available and understandable to the public."The information in the statement is taken from the county's complex, 100-page Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. It answers the basic questions of where the money comes from, where it goes, and what's left.Copies will be available at the controller's office in the county courthouse in Pottsville. It will also be available on the controller's website at

www.co.schuylkill.pa.us/Offices/Controller/index.asp. Copies will be distributed to libraries and senior centers.Highlights include:• On average, 22 percent of real estate taxes go to county government.• 30 percent of all county revenue comes from a combination of county taxes.• Only 23 percent of county expenses are discretionary.• The unreserved general fund balance satisfies the recommended reserve of a two-month threshold of regular operating expenditures.• The county pension is funded 90.1 percent actuarially or 98.6 percent using actual market value.• After six years of increases, the county's annual contribution has decreased.• The form of Schuylkill County Government.The statement also includes various fraud hotlines. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiner's Report to the Nation, government is one of the most commonly victimized industries."While the Friendly Understandable Financial Statement might not answer every question, it may start a conversation," Joy said.