(11/2021) With great relief the Adams County Commissioners have just completed the bulk of the 2021 assessment appeals. In Adams County the commissioners personally conduct appeal hearings. In many counties the commissioners appoint appeal hearing boards to conduct the hearings; Adams County has an auxiliary appeal board for periods of numerous appeals and to guarantee we meet the legal deadline to complete the appeal hearings. We feel there is value in the commissioners doing the hearings personally. It keeps us in close touch with the current real estate environment, and we also avoid hiring additional help. Our years of experience strengthen the appeal process.

The appeals can be filed for various reasons, assessed values, errors in tax records, catastrophic loss, or exemptions. A good percentage of the appellants this year did get relief. However, I believe more appellants could have found relief with better documentation, possibly including a professional appraisal. Appeals must be filed annually by August 1 or the next business day if the courthouse is closed on August 1. Preparation for an appeal should be taken seriously so that critical information is entered into the appeal hearing. Sufficient information is needed for the board to make a complete decision. If a property owner does not agree with the hearing determination, that decision can be appealed to the Court of Common Pleas, but that requires a filing fee. That filing takes place in the protonotary’s office.

This year .2% of Adams County property owners filed appeals. That is a significantly lower number than past years; each year we have been in office the number has decreased. In the past we had to use multiple appeal boards to hear all appeals by the legal deadline. For the past two years we have done the appeals virtually and it has gone very well, enabling us to hear more appeals in a shorter time period. Virtual hearings could be the adopted method for the future. We wish to thank the appellants, their counsels and appraisers for adapting to the virtual hearings. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised by how efficient the process has become.

The county is soon to provide a new site for corona virus testing. This will be done through a joint agreement with Adams County and WellSpan. By the time this article is published we hope to have the testing center in operation. The center will be located at the Adams County Emergency Services Complex on Greenamyer Lane, off Granite Station Road. The plan is to have a drive through testing operation. Drivers will enter the large truck bay, get tested, and exit the opposite side of the bay. Final details should appear on the county website and in the Gettysburg Times.

If you take a walk on West High Street in Gettysburg, you will find staff occupying the Mercy House Recovery Center. The operation is waiting to receive dorm furniture that is needed to house the recovery participants. The program is not as simple as walk in and occupy a bed. Program participants must obtain a full-time first shift job that will help pay their room rent and, more importantly, lead them to self-sufficiency. The participants must also be available for counselling and treatment programs in the evening. The residents are expected to share kitchen duties and keep their living area neat and clean. If residents fail to comply with these and other house rules, they will have to leave the program. This structure is what won my support for the program, especially when I saw it implemented in a Lancaster recovery house.

On November 2, a general election took place. Without sufficient election workers, judges, inspectors, clerks, and general helpers, elections would not happen. Many thanks to those workers who are engaged from sunup to sundown performing their duties that facilitate the election. Some workers’ duties are not completed until they have delivered their ballots and election documents to the courthouse, sometimes as late as 11 p.m.. Another reason we are grateful is that they are willing to do the work for minimal pay. We are also grateful for the polling places that are provided essentially as a public service. Their normal use is generally disrupted for at least three days to get equipment in and out of the polling site. The renumeration is modest and a relief to the county’s election budget which has exploded due to the volume of mail-in ballots and additional administration required.

Speaking of the county budget, I am expecting that the level of inflation we have been experiencing will not recede but will have a huge negative impact on our general fund budget. The two components that concern me the most are utilities and wages. The economic policies and decisions of the present White House administration sent stable fuel prices in an upward spiral. Most county buildings including the prison are heated with natural gas which is projected to increase more than 20%. That will mean tens of thousands of dollars more for heating in addition to the greater expense to fuel county vehicles.

Combining the fuel increase with the pressure on wages, that has been created by White House policy, I predict our county budget will begin to hemorrhage. Some may say to use the America Recovery Act funds (COVID-19 relief money) to balance the budget. That is not a permitted use of the funds, however, the county can legally be reimbursed for lost revenue to address expenses. Since we are developing our 2022 budget, the impact of reimbursement funds will be analyzed in the budget process along with the recently updated Treasury guidance received October 22. The interest income from the Recovery Act funds can be used without restriction and this will definitely aid us in our budgeting process. At this point in time our goal is to have our preliminary budget complete just before or after Thanksgiving.

While I have this opportunity, I would like to wish everyone an enjoyable and safe Thanksgiving.