Archive: News

County Administrator Joe MareaneCounty Administrator Joe Mareane delivered to the County Legislature a 2011 Tentative County Budget that employs a balanced approach to address unprecedented fiscal challenges.  The budget holds the line on spending and calls for program reductions to fill a $4.7 million budget gap, while meeting the  Legislature’s goal of increasing the tax levy by no more than 5%.

The recommended budget totals $74.4 million in local dollar spending, an increase of 0.6% over the 2010 budget, in spite of substantial increases in mandated spending.  It closes a $4.7 million budget gap through a balanced mix of revenue increases and spending decreases, producing a $1.9 million (5%) property tax levy increase coupled with a $2 million spending reduction.  Some spending reductions will affect entire programs. 

The Budget also applies $780,000 in one-time federal stimulus money to fill the gap left by the State’s delay in approving the county’s request to authorize a new local mortgage tax. The County tax rate would increase from $6.00 to $6.41 per $1,000 of assessed value, resulting in a $66 per year increase for an average $160,000 home.  In a budget message accompanying the budget document, Administrator Mareane notes the budget reflects the County’s response to an economy slowly recovering from a deep recession.  That has resulted in an increased reliance on mandated services provided by the County and a diminished capacity of taxpayers to pay for them.

“Although balanced, the budget requires significant spending reductions,” cautions Administrator Mareance.  “That is particularly difficult in a lean government that has already cut spending and is careful to provide only those services that are truly needed by the community.  However, the County cannot simply afford to do all that it used to.  We require a path of fiscal responsibility committed to living within our means.”

Departments were directed to reduce non-mandated local dollar spending by 6.9%; items unable to be supported in the target budget could submitted as an over target request (OTR).  The Tentative Budget funds only $1.5 million of nearly $3.4 million in OTRs submitted for recurring target funding and recommends most of the $500,000  requested for one-time expenses. Mareane cautions spending cuts, however, can no longer be achieved simply through across-the-board reductions. 

In addition to OTRs not funded in the Tentative Budget, County Administration has proposed reductions for the County Health Department’s Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA) and two programs managed by the Youth Services Department:  eliminating a quarter-million-dollar allocation for the Municipal Youth Development program and reducing funding for the Learning Web’s Community and Career Apprentice Program by 50%.  The Administrator recommends the County review whether the County-operated CHHA could operate without a $400,000 annual property tax subsidy or whether the County should withdraw from providing the service, as many other counties have done, transferring its certificate to a qualified not-for-profit provider. The budget reduces the County workforce by 20 full-time equivalent positions, a decrease of 2.6%, much of the reduction expected to be achieved through natural attrition.

The package will be the focus of legislative review through the Expanded Budget Committee over the next two months, leading to legislative action in November.

v6i35