The Berks County commissioners have a number of familiar priorities for 2026, along with a few new areas of interest.

Commissioners Christian Leinbach, Michael Rivera and Dante Santoni Jr. said they want to focus on core issues like practicing fiscal responsibility and promoting economic development during a meeting Thursday when they laid out their goals for the year.

But they also spoke about the potential to attract tourists during the FIFA World Cup this summer, following through on the recommendations of several studies that have been unveiled over the past several years and growing the Reading Regional Airport.

Here is some of what they had to say.

Rivera focused on economic stability, development

Practicing fiscal responsibility: Rivera said maintaining fiscal responsibility has been and will continue to be his top priority.

He noted the commissioners do not take raising taxes lightly, but it is sometimes necessary to ensure long-term economic stability.

“Fiscal responsibility is being able to maintain the strong financial position of the county in the long run,” he said. “And that may mean having to increase taxes to continue to keep up with our costs — our personnel costs, health insurance costs, utility costs and overall operation costs. But we try to keep those increases under the rate of inflation.”

Improving county governance: Rivera said he will continue to work with the Savings and Efficiency Team, which examines what can be done to make a positive financial impact. That team was responsible for cutting more than $520,000 from the 2025 budget, he noted.

He said that in the year ahead the team will be expanding its focus.

“We are not just pushing how we can save money, but how we improve in everything we do — from those who clean our facilities to those who do the clerical work to the department heads,” he said.

Promoting economic development: Rivera said he wants to continue building on the successes of IMAGINE Berks, a strategic action plan that will guide economic development efforts.

He said the plan is a community initiative they hope will result in a positive impact, especially when it comes to the county’s need for new housing and redeveloped housing that is affordable.

Rivera said the county will be working with municipalities and its partners to identify ways to build housing units and improve existing housing in Berks.

He also spoke about the need to follow through on recommendations that arose from a study regarding the economic impact of the agricultural community. The study, which was unveiled last year, included a set of actions the county can take in collaboration with local partners to support the future growth of the agricultural industry.

Santoni focused on health, tourism

Enhancing the health of residents: Santoni said his first priority is working toward the implementation of recommendations contained in a county-commissioned study unveiled in 2023 about enhancing the delivery of health services in Berks.

He said he supports the recommendations made in the study such as developing a health advisory panel and supporting the establishment of a Healthy Berks Coalition.

“A lot of this discussion came out of the pandemic and hopefully we never have to deal with a pandemic, but there are some concerns about the health needs of our community,” he said.

Santoni said he has been working with the Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health to help craft a proposal for the coalition, which would include input from the local medical community and members of the public.

Bringing people to Berks: Santoni said the county will likely announce its designation as an official FIFA World Cup 2026 fan zone in the next few weeks, which has the potential to attract hundreds of tourists.

FIFA World Cup 2026 fan zones are official public viewing areas offering live match broadcasts, cultural events, food and interactive experiences for fans without stadium tickets.

“I think it could be a really important economic development tool,” he said. “I sit on the tourism board and I think we could really benefit from having so many people come here from all over the world into our community.”

Addressing the homeless crisis: Santoni said homelessness continues to be a major problem in Berks.

He cited recent reports from the Berks County Coalition to End Homelessness that found people experiencing homelessness remains high. That reflects a trend that has been happening in Berks since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Affordable housing is an important economic and quality of life issue that we need to address,” he said. “And we want to make sure our local officials are engaged with our state and federal partners because there is legislation coming down that could help and funding opportunities that may be available.”

Leinbach focused on finances, transportation

Focusing on fiscal responsibility: Leinbach said practicing fiscal responsibility will remain his primary priority, noting the county remains in a strong financial position.

He said maintaining the county’s AAA rating — the highest bond rating issued by Moody’s Investors Service — is critical. The rating, which the county has had since 2019, reflects the expectation that the county’s financial position will continue to remain strong with ample reserves despite plans to make draws for capital expenditures.

Growing Reading Regional Airport: Leinbach said he wants to make the Bern Township airfield the best general aviation airport in the commonwealth.

Leinbach noted a study conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation a few years ago that found the Reading airport generates a total annual economic impact of about $78 million. But, he said, that figure could be even better with the moves they are making to attract more tenants and build leasable hangar space.

Restoring passenger rail service: Leinbach said the effort to restore passenger rail service from Reading to Philadelphia is rolling forward.

He said the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority has completed the first phase of a federal program that is providing a critical boost to the effort to restore train service and is on the verge of moving to the second phase.

The second phase of the Corridor Identification and Development Program includes the development of a service plan that would examine ridership and revenue forecasts, capital programming and an operational analysis.

However, he said there could be some changes ahead.

“Union Pacific has announced plans to acquire and purchase Norfolk Southern,” he said. “That creates opportunity but it also creates risk and all three counties through the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority are addressing and trying to tackle the opportunity side of that right now.”