How Berks County government works

Berks County government is run by a three-member Board of Commissioners plus a set of independently elected "row officers," and it spends about $690 million a year on courts, the jail, elections, human services, records, 911, parks, and a county-owned nursing home. Under state law Berks is a third-class county, a classification by population, governed under the County Code of 1955, with about 2,100 full-time-equivalent employees. Here is who does what, and which government to call for which problem.

The three commissioners

Commissioners are elected county-wide every four years; the next election is in 2027. Voters can pick at most two candidates and the top three win, a Pennsylvania rule that guarantees the minority party one of the three seats.

The current board:

• Christian Y. Leinbach (Republican), chair
• Michael S. Rivera (Republican), vice chair
• Dante Santoni Jr. (Democrat)

The commissioners set the budget and tax rate, award contracts, hire department leadership, and sit on the Salary Board, Election Board, Prison Board, and Retirement Board. They meet publicly most Thursdays at 10 a.m. at the Berks County Services Center, 633 Court Street, Reading, with workshop sessions on some Tuesday mornings. The county's public comment policy gives each speaker three minutes within a 30-minute comment period. Day-to-day operations run through a chief operations officer, currently Kevin S. Barnhardt. If you want to be heard, here is how to speak at a meeting.

The county's 2027 budget is the live question this fall. On October 15, 2026, the chief financial officer told the board that keeping reserves at the level the county's fiscal policy requires "will require" a 3.4 percent tax increase, about $30.64 more per $100,000 of assessed value, or eliminating $15.8 million in spending the county is not required to make, including the library system, parks, farmland preservation and veterans affairs, or both; our recap has the details. The proposed budget had not been posted as of November 1.

The row officers

Pennsylvania counties also elect independent officers who do not answer to the commissioners. In Berks:

• District Attorney prosecutes crimes.
• Sheriff handles court security, prisoner transport, warrants, gun permits, and sheriff's sales. Not the same as local police. Sheriff Mandy P. Miller was elected in November 2025 to a two-year term, so the office is on the ballot again in 2027 with the commissioners.
• Controller audits county spending and reviews every payment.
• Treasurer collects and safeguards county money and issues dog and hunting licenses.
• Coroner investigates sudden and suspicious deaths.
• Prothonotary keeps civil court records: lawsuits, judgments, name changes.
• Clerk of Courts keeps criminal court records.
• Recorder of Deeds records property deeds and mortgages.
• Register of Wills probates estates and issues marriage licenses.

Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, which is Pennsylvania's 23rd Judicial District, and the county's 17 magisterial district judges are elected separately.

County vs. township vs. school district

Your property tax bill has three lines, and complaints often go to the wrong government.

• The county (9.013 mills in 2026) funds courts, the jail, elections, human services, deeds and records, 911, parks, and Berks Heim. For most homeowners it is the smallest line.
• Your municipality (Reading or one of the county's townships and boroughs) handles police, fire, local roads, trash, and zoning.
• Your school district is usually the largest line by far.

About 26 cents of every county dollar comes from property taxes. Most of the rest is state and federal grant money earmarked for specific programs, which is why commissioners cannot move jail money to parks at will. The full breakdown is in our report on where the $690 million goes.

Where decisions happen

• Thursday commissioners meetings: budget, contracts, policy. See our meeting coverage.
• Election Board: election administration and certification.
• Prison Board: oversees the jail system and the new-jail project.
• Planning Commission: advises on land use county-wide.
• Authorities: separate bodies such as the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority, funded jointly with Chester and Montgomery counties to restore Reading-to-Philadelphia train service.

Quick facts

• Population: 428,849 (2020 Census), among Pennsylvania's ten largest counties
• County seat: Reading
• Founded: 1752
• Main address: Berks County Services Center, 633 Court Street, Reading, PA 19601; the building is open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but several row offices close at 4 or 4:30, so check the department's own page before a late visit
• Official site: berkspa.gov

FAQ

How many commissioners does Berks County have?

Three, elected at-large every four years: currently two Republicans (Christian Leinbach, Michael Rivera) and one Democrat (Dante Santoni Jr.). State law guarantees the minority party one seat.

When do the commissioners meet?

Most Thursdays at 10 a.m. at 633 Court Street, Reading, with an online option via Microsoft Teams. Check the county meetings page because holiday weeks are sometimes canceled.

What is the Berks County property tax rate?

9.013 mills in 2026, unchanged from 2025. That is about $901 a year on a property assessed at $100,000, and it is separate from municipal and school taxes.

When is the next commissioners election?

November 2027, when the sheriff's two-year term is also up. County row officers run in odd years; the November 3, 2026 ballot carries the governor's race, Congress, the state House and, in some precincts, a state Senate seat, with no county office or county question.