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County Legislators were urged to carefully weigh the long-term impact of a recommended cut in youth services funding Monday, one of several messages voiced by citizens who attended the Community Budget Forum on the County’s 2011 tentative budget.

More than 60 people attended the forum, and about 20 spoke, nearly half of those urging that youth services funding be restored to the budget. The Tentative Budget would eliminate the Municipal Youth Development Program, which reallocates a quarter-million dollars in County tax revenue as matching funds to support municipal youth programs.  Many called municipal youth services funding an important long-term investment that will pay off in the future.  “Your future—yours and mine—are in the hands of our children,” noted Renee Tennant of Freeville.  “What is our future as adults going to be like down the road?”  And Marnie Kirschgessner, of Enfield, was one of several who predicted rural youth and families with limited incomes would be hurt, and that elimination of the program would dismantle years of collaboration.  Support also was voiced for the Learning Web’s Career Apprenticeship Program, recommended to be cut by half.

Three people expressed concern about the possibility of turning over the Health Department’s Home Health Agency to a private not-for-profit agency.  Both Ithacan Art Pearce and director Chris Sanchirico urged restoration of funding to support two programs operated by Catholic Charities of the Southern Tier on behalf of the Department of Social Services, programs they maintained meet critical human needs and leverage outside matching funds that magnify the effect of those dollars.

But several others urged that the County cannot continue business as usual in today’s environment.  Ed Weissman, of Ithaca, reminded legislators that “there is no such thing as unlimited resources,” suggested that risks identified may be understated, and predicted the new federal health care law will only worsen mandates.  “It’s more important than ever that the County prioritize,” he said. “The County can no longer provide all the services we have become accustomed to.”  Charitable donations and developing a long-term strategy to develop volunteer resources were other approaches suggested to decrease reliance on government spending.

The County Administrator’s tentative budget recommends $74.4 million in local dollar spending, holding spending nearly steady from the current year, despite substantial increases in mandated support.  Administrator Joe Mareane has recommended $2 million in spending reductions and $1.9 million in revenue increases to close a $4.7 million budget gap and meet the Legislature’s 5% tax levy increase goal.  In preparing the budget, the administrator said he faced the difficult challenge of moving very limited resources to areas of highest need to prevent reductions that would harm health, safety, and core governance.

Legislators meeting as an Expanded Budget Committee will resume hearing departmental budget presentations Tuesday, September 28, and will begin recommending modifications to the administrator’s budget in mid-October.

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