ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An emotional Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong presented his final budget address Thursday, saying his administration worked long hours to create a "no fluff" budget that will keep taxes flat at a time when the cost of living is on the rise.
With tariffs and taxes making everyday expenses more costly and seemingly more and more families receiving aid from area food pantries, Armstrong said he instructed department heads that any new spending had to come with corresponding cuts or identify a new source of funding.
"Our No. 1 goal is not to be the ones adding an extra tax burden on our citizens," Armstrong told a crowd of about 40 people at the Lehigh County Government Center.
Under the proposed millage rate, a county home with an assessed value of $200,000 would pay $756 in county property taxes. County commissioners last raised property taxes in the 2020 budget, and county property taxes today are lower than they were 11 years ago.
About $121 million — or about 22% — of the $544 million spending plan will be funded by local taxes and fees, with the rest coming from state and federal sources. Much of that funding goes toward mandatory human services such as veterans affairs, drug and alcohol services and the Area Agency on Aging.
Armstrong, a retired social studies teacher with a flair for the dramatic, has rarely made a public presentation over his two terms in office without a prop or visual aide to drive home a point.
"Our No. 1 goal is not to be the ones adding an extra tax burden on our citizens."Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong
He lived up to that reputation Thursday with a posterboard-sized photo of a pachyderm.
County executives are tasked with preparing a budget 18 months in advance, he said, but a sizable chunk of its funding will come from a state government that is nearly two months overdue, he said.
State budget impasse
With no budget reimbursements from the state since the end of June, the county has relied on its $25 million stabilization fund to pay its bills. Unless a deal is reached, the county will burn through the fund by the end of September, forcing the county to either borrow money or cut services, Armstrong said.
"Yes, there is an elephant in the room," he said.
Commissioners will have the next few months to review Armstrong's proposal and consider amendments. Commissioner Ron Beitler, a Lower Macungie Township Republican, said that on first glance, he was pleased with the budget. It sets aside $1.7 million for farmland preservation, completes construction on the Cedarbrook expansion and funds upgrades to the Lock Ridge Furnace Museum in Alburtis without raising taxes.
"Now would be a terrible time for any level of government to put added tax burdens on families and small businesses," he said in a statement.
Commissioner Jon Irons, a Bethlehem Democrat, said he appreciated that Armstrong acknowledged how county government has been left to pick up more responsibilities. The current Congress and the Trump administration have been shifting the cost of social programming onto the states, and Irons said county governments need to expect that local tax bases will need to pick up more of these expenses in the future.
Irons said that he was willing to explore possible tax increases to ensure that critical social programs are funded, though he was not certain other commissioners shared that appetite.
"We can't keep kicking the can down the road and hope that budget solutions will happen and grants will happen. Cutting programs like Children & Youth Services is not an option," Irons said.
Armstrong, a Democrat who is term-limited, said he will make himself and his administration available to assist whoever wins this November's election for county executive. State Rep. Josh Siegel, an Allentown Democrat, and former Allentown Police Chief Roger MacLean, an Allentown Republican, are on the ballot.
"I would like everyone to know how much I enjoyed being your county executive. It was the highlight of my life, and I really mean it," a misty-eyed Armstrong said.
