‘We were elected to make hard choices’

Mercer County Executive Dan Benson has proposed a $420 million county budget as the county faces increased costs and further potential federal funding cuts.

In his 2025 Budget Address to the county commissioners and residents on April 10, Benson noted that they are still cleaning up a significant financial mess from the previous administration.

“Inflation, rising healthcare costs, past overspending, and the increased costs of housing juvenile offenders are all making this harder,” he said. “But we need to take a different approach from what they’re doing on the federal level and continue to put our community first.

“It will mean making some hard choices, with a budget that is limited in spending and keeps our county tax rate stable or slightly lower. This is not an easy budget. But we were elected to make hard choices.” 

Benson explained that his $420 million proposed budget includes grant money.

This year’s budget without grants being included amounts to $403 million, which is a $6 million increase, when compared to 2024’s $397 million in spending. Benson said the overall tax levy is expected to be less than 4% higher from last year.

“It’s still too soon to know what impact this will have on municipal tax rates,” Benson said. “While lean, this budget ensures we can continue to provide the county’s essential services without jeopardizing our future.”

The county has already felt the impact from Trump Administration cuts with a close to $200,000 cut from public health, Benson said noting they rely on direct federal funds for less than 2% of the county’s budget.

Further federal cuts to both state and local funding could lead to some more tough conversations down the road “whether it’s potential cuts to Medicaid, federal capital programs, job training programs, and social services like food stamps could affect many in our community who rely on these services daily,” Benson said.

“That’s why it’s so important that we get our county government back on a strong financial footing—we have to be ready to step up and meet the needs of our residents over the next few years.” 

Benson criticized the previous administration’s overspending which he says led to a tax increase in 2024 and a reduced surplus entering 2025.

“We’ve made a lot of progress, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” he said noting the administration is expecting to make some cuts this year. “As a result, the introduced 2025 budget will face some of the same challenges and constraints as last year’s budget but compounded by the mess on the federal level.

“Unlike the slash-and-burn cuts that Elon Musk is making in Washington, we’re taking a strategic and surgical approach. This ensures that we maintain our critical county services while still continuing to make key, long-term investments in our future.” 

Mercer County government is not immune to rising healthcare costs. The double digit increases with the county’s enrollment in state health benefits plan (SHBP) is proving to be unsustainable, Benson said.

The county plans to work closely with union representatives to examine opportunities for cost savings.

“One area that we must address is whether to exit the state health benefit plan,” he said. “This decision could save on health care costs, provide the same or better benefits, and give us more flexibility while freeing up resources for future negotiations

“If undertaken, this change won’t save us money this year, but it would allow us to see savings in the coming years, which we believe would be significant.”

There are no proposed layoffs in the county executive’s proposed budget as administration’s goal is to keep positions that were filled in 2024. However, many needed vacancies will continue to be unfilled until 2026 as the county has budgeted only for positions they can’t do without.

Salaries, wages, and health benefit costs have increased by $16 million. Additionally, Benson explained the system of youth detention, which he calls broken, is costing the county millions more each year.   

The administration plans on maintaining the county’s contribution and matching support from previous years to the Mercer County Community College, Technical Schools, Special Services School District, and the Board of Social Services this year.

Benson highlighted that the county has been able to save $2 million dollars on pharmacy benefits by renegotiating with its benefits provider. The county is conducting a full review of all property leases to identify potential savings including the Mercer County Office of Training and Employment Services, formerly known as One-Stop, and County Connection. They believe they’ll be able to save up to $500,000 annually by making facilities improvements to buildings the county already owns, and moving staff and services from a leased facility to a vacant county office building.

The county budget includes key investments – renovating Trenton Thunder ballpark, modernizing the Trenton-Mercer Airport, rebuilding the Lincoln Avenue Bridge, revitalizing the South Broad Street corridor, open space, and announcing a new municipal and nonprofit trails grant program.