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The Legislature tonight held its annual Community Budget Forum, inviting residents to learn about and comment on the County’s tentative 2015 budget currently under review by the Legislature.
 
About 15 people attended, and five of them spoke.  Three of the speakers spoke of the importance of youth services programs.  Beth Bannister and Shelley Lester, of Cooperative Extension, thanked Legislators for their support of Extension’s Rural Youth Service and youth employment programs, as a model of municipal cooperation and collaboration.  As a youth worker who has participated in youth programs since fourth grade, Oscar Pachasa said the youth employment program has inspired him and provided him a vast amount of growth in career exploration and leadership experience.
 
City of Ithaca resident Sally VanOrman congratulated the County on its budget work and for what she sees as a responsible approach related to the budget, in comparison to other taxing entities. But she said that, with a limited retirement income, she doesn’t know how she is going to afford a more than $3,000 increase in her combined tax bill (including increases in City and school taxes) and with reassessment of her property.
 
Legislature Chair Mike Lane thanked VanOrman for “putting a face” on this problem—he said, “There are many people out there like you…Many times in government I don’t think many think about people like you who are struggling.”  Legislator Will Burbank noted that the impact of local property taxes has become much worse over the past 30 years as state government has shifted costs to local government, and said that the key to change is to change the tax structure so that it is related to the ability to pay.
 
Ray Schlather, of the City of Ithaca, applauding the County for a “realistic, sensitive budget,” one that continues a slow and steady approach, and reflects a lot that can’t be changed, such as roads and services, that affect the community at every level.  However, he challenged the County to take the leadership role to begin to address systemic changes—beginning with delivery of police services community-wide—and he said that, in the context of financial challenges for the Airport, discussions should begin to investigate potential regionalization of airport services.
 
The Recommended Budget, with total expenditures of $180 million and local dollar spending of $83.3 million, would increase the tax levy by 2.34% (below the County’s projected property tax cap) and would increase the tax bill by $6.34 for the owner of a median-value $165,000 home—an amount of increase that would be returned by the State under the new State property tax freeze law.  As part of the budget, the County Solid Waste Fee would also drop by $4.00, to $52.00 per household.
 
Legislators meeting as an Expanded Budget Committee will next meet Tuesday, October 14, for the first of as many as three voting meetings to recommend modifications to the administrator’s budget.  With that stage of the process beginning, budget chair Jim Dennis said he hopes the Legislature can maintain the budget at or below the cap for 2015.
 
The 2015 Recommended Budget and other budget information are posted at the budget page of the County web site at http://tompkinscountyny.gov/ctyadmin/budget.
 
There are ongoing opportunities to comment on the budget as the process moves forward.  Residents may submit budget comments online at the County web site budget page, and may also visit the County’s Facebook page on the budget.  Written comments can be mailed to the Legislature Office at the Governor Daniel D. Tompkins Building, 121 E. Court Street, Ithaca.
 
People may address legislators on the budget at the beginning of any County Legislature meeting and at the Legislature’s formal budget hearing November 10.  All budget meetings, including the hearing, take place at Legislature Chambers in the Governor Daniel D. Tompkins Building (Second Floor).

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