The Cambria County, Pa., Commissioners unanimously approved a 2016 audit presented by Wessel & Co. that showed the county paid down approximately $6 million of its general fund deficit.
Auditor Joel Valentine, of Wessel & Co., presented the audit to the commissioners Wednesday during a regular meeting held at the Upper Yoder Township building.
Valentine said the county's audit was "much improved from 2015," and is working its way to building a healthy fund balance, which he said would be $10 million for a county of Cambria's size.
Although Cambria County was able to reduce its general fund debt from $8.5 million to $2.2 million in 2016, it was still one of two counties statewide to have a general fund deficit.
In 2016, the county's overall debt also was reduced from $56.8 million to $48.3 million.
"The county has been able to significantly pay down their debt within the past year," Valentine said.
"Overall, it's the best shape the county's been in for a number of years," he said.
Valentine's audit summary showed that for every dollar Cambria County owed in 2016, it had $1.18 to pay out, compared to last year's 85-cents-to-$1 ratio.
A more financially sound scenario would be having $1.50 for every dollar paid out, he said.
The county's 2015 audit showed a shortfall of revenues to cover expenditures, including $4.3 million worth of deficit spending that brought the county's cumulative debt to around $8.5 million.
Democratic commissioners Tom Chernisky and William "B.J." Smith said this debt was what prompted them to vote in favor of a 5-mill tax increase to generate $6 million that same year.
In 2016, the commissioners approved a budget that included a half-mill tax decrease.
Commissioner Mark Wissinger, the lone Republican on the board, voted against the 2015 tax increase that he said played a role in paying down the county's debt, but said he was pleased with the 2016 audit report.
"Balancing the budget in Cambria County has not been an easy challenge over the years," he said.
Smith said "it was a lot of hard work" to cut costs and produce savings to pay down the county's debt.
"Cambria County's fiscal house is getting back on track, but we must make every day a budget day," Chernisky said.
"We still have to roll up our sleeves and erase the $2.2 million deficit."
