Delaware County OKS budget

The Delaware County commissioners have approved a $113 million budget for next year, with pay raises for staff and increased spending for roads and other high-profile projects.

Commissioners voted Thursday on the $113,275,365 general-fund budget for 2019, an increase of 4.3 percent over 2018. The increase includes 3 percent raises for non-union employees.

Funding for roads and bridges in the fast-growing county, including planned overpasses at railroad tracks, has become an important issue. Commissioners are considering a $5 hike to the county’s vehicle registration (permissive) tax next year, which would affect some 200,000 vehicle owners, to help.

The budget allows for other capital projects, including upgrades to the county jail complex; renovations to the historic courthouse to include a commissioners’ hearing room and offices for several county departments; and beginning renovations to the Delaware Area Career Center’s north campus, to be owned and operated by the county for multiple agencies.

“Given the continued population growth in the county, we continue to focus on the capital projects that will facilitate smart growth,” said Gary Merrell, president of the Board of Commissioners. “These projects will lay the foundation for fiscally responsible growth for the next decade.”