Berks commissioners outline busy year ahead
It’s going to be quite a busy year for Berks County.
That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. County government typically has a lot on its plate each year trying to meet the needs of county residents.
But in 2023, it seems that the county’s plate is piled particularly high.
Commissioners Christian Leinbach and Michael Rivera took some time recently to lay out the issues and challenges that await them this year during a breakfast forum hosted by the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Reading.
Here is some of what they had to say.
Welcoming a new face
First up for the commissioners is finding someone to join their ranks.
This week, former commissioner Kevin Barnhardt officially left his post to take over as the new county chief operations officer. That leaves a spot open for a Democratic commissioner — with Leinbach and Rivera both Republicans and a requirement that the board have at least one Democrat.
The vacancy will be filled through an appointment made by a panel of Berks County judges. Leinbach told the crowd that he has spoken to President Judge M. Theresa Johnson and that she said a number of applications have been received so far. The deadline to apply is Jan. 20.
Leinbach said that Johnson indicated a decision on who the new commissioner will be will be made in late January or early February.
Criminal justice
The commissioners said they are placing the construction of a new Berks County Correctional Facility on hold due to serious cost concerns. Leinbach said the most recent projection the county received set the price at more than $300 million — a steep increase from the $200 million estimate the board received before the COVID pandemic.
With the project on pause, Leinbach said the county will look for ways to divert more people who commit nonviolent crimes and those with mental health issues from incarceration. That may have an impact on the size and scope of the new jail project.
“We need to ask the question: How do we fundamentally change the composition of who is in jail,” he said.
Fiscal responsibility
The commissioners said they are committed to managing county finances responsibly so they can keep county property taxes low while ensuring government is run efficiently.
The commissioners passed a 2023 spending plan last month that holds the line on taxes. Despite rising costs and the need to provide more competitive wages, the nearly $667 million plan manages to avoid a property tax increase and program cuts.
“Our No. 1 objective is keeping our financial house in order,” Leinbach said.
Rivera said the county is in a very strong financial position right now and he hopes that means no new tax increases will be necessary in the immediate future.
“Our goal is to have no new tax increase in 2024,” he said. “While we can’t make any guarantees, that’s something that we’re shooting for as we begin the year.”
County facility study
They said work is underway on a study looking at county facilities to ensure they are making the best use of the property they have. The outcome of that study may mean moving departments around within the Berks County Services Center in downtown Reading or relocating departments from one campus to another in the future.
The study will also consider what to do with the Berks County Residential Center, which will soon sit empty after the federal government announced its plan to stop housing asylum seekers there.
Staffing shortages
They said they are continuing to deal with staffing shortages at a number of departments like Children & Youth Services, the 911 communications branch of emergency services and the correctional facility.
“We need to focus on bringing in more people to those departments because they are extremely important to the county,” Rivera said.
Economic development
They touted the creation
of IMAGINE Berks, a strategic action plan that will guide economic development efforts for the next five years. Rivera said the plan is a community initiative they hope will result in a positive impact to the county.
Rivera said the commissioners have invested more than $20 million of the money the county received from the American Rescue Plan into projects that they said meet the vision laid out in the plan.
A team effort
Rivera told the audience the sheer volume of projects and challenges the commissioners are facing this year shows how important it is to be surrounded by a talented team.
“There are many things that we need to focus on and I want to make one thing clear: I am not an expert
in all these areas by any means,” he said. “But what makes this job possible to do is having a great team surrounding us that I seek advice from on a daily basis.
“We have a great team that without them I don’t think we could do what we do.”
Leinbach echoed those sentiments.
He said that while the commissioners are ultimately the people who make the decisions and must be held accountable for the outcome of those decisions, there is a group of people working behind the scenes to ensure they have all the information they need to make the best decisions.
“It’s the team that makes us who we are,” he said. “And it’s always that way. Whenever it becomes about me, it’s time for me to go.”