BY DOUG GRAVES

Special to The Press

“We are one of four counties in Pennsylvania that got through this COVID year without a tax increase or layoffs,” Lehigh County Commissioner President Amy Zanelli said, as she wrapped up the final budget meeting Oct. 28.

This meeting saw approval of the county’s $572,215,132 budget for 2021 with a 9-0 bipartisan vote.

The bipartisan budget, however, didn’t get through without some regrets from the Republican minority party.

“There are parts of the budget I don’t like,” Commissioner Dr. Percy Dougherty said.

Dougherty said he had constituents who urged him to not pass the budget, but at this point, time had run out to change the budget as it must be approved by Oct. 30.

“Good things would be defeated [if the budget doesn’t pass]. I will be voting for the budget against what some of my constituents have advised me.”

Dougherty also complained about what he called a “lack of transparency” in the negotiations of an amendment passed at the last board meeting.

Lehigh County Fiscal Officer Timothy Reeves expressed relief and gratitude.

“Making a half billion-dollar budget is not easy,” he said, as he thanked his staff for their hard work.

Former Commissioner Dean Browning, a Republican, said the budget is “very disappointing.” He also complained of a lack of transparency.

“There was not a single amendment to reduce taxes,” Browning said who, earlier this year, made an unsuccessful bid for the Republican candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives losing out to Lisa Scheller, also a former Lehigh County commissioner.

Commissioner Geoff Brace addressed a concern the amendment adopted at the last meeting that reallocated more than $1 million from parts of the budget to other parts constituted a legal problem.

“I have confirmed that we followed the rules of the board and of the Home Rule Charter,” Brace said. “We have met our Sunshine Rule obligations.”

“There was not a lack of transparency,” Commissioner Dan Hartzell said. “It is erroneous to say lack of transparency.”

In other business, commissioners passed 9-0 a bill to allow quicker disbursement of emergency funds.

“We should be supporting local businesses as much as possible so they can stay in business,” Dougherty said.

“We were able to fund every business that applied and then qualified [for COVID-19 funding]” Lehigh County’s Department of Community and Economic Development Director Frank Kane said.

Jessica O’Donnell of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce expressed the chamber’s appreciation for the disbursement of the funds.

“Thanks. We need those businesses and they need us.”