Few comments on Franklin County budget

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November 18, 2011

DENISE A. RAYMO Press-Republican The Press Republican Fri Nov 18, 2011, 04:36 PM EST

MALONE — Residents apparently recognize Franklin County's struggle to bring a balanced budget with a tax-levy increase under the state mandated 2 percent cap.

Just two people spoke during public hearings Thursday on the tentative $115.4 million budget for 2012 and the Legislature's intent to adopt a local law to override the imposed tax limit even though the final tax hike could be 1.98 percent.

The tentative budget is $115,514.259, an increase of 4.7 percent from 2011.

The amount to be raised by taxes is $16,166,681, an increase of 12.95 percent from this year.

The average tax increase across the county would be $71.09.

Legislators will hold a final work session at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 28, to close a remaining $500,000 funding gap.

County Manager Thomas Leitz gave an overview of the process that started at a 76.9 percent tax increase and fell to 12.95 percent.

It included 10 layoffs, 11 voluntary-separation buyouts, more electronic-home monitoring, fee increases at the Department of Motor Vehicles, bus-fare increases in Public Transportation, cancellation of 3.5 percent raises for unionized jail employees and leaving non-critical jobs vacant.

Nine programs that all counties are required to provide account for an average of 90 percent of the tax levy property owners pay, Leitz said.

That list includes costs for Medicaid, probation services, the County Jail, indigent legal services and more.

Non-mandated services are the only ones where savings can be had, Leitz said, but they are some of the most important.

Senior-citizen programs, for example, are not mandated, but legislators left them untouched in the budget.

Paula King, director of the Burke Adult Center, thanked the members and stressed the importance of providing congregate meals at the eight adult-center sites and retaining the Meals on Wheels program because they serve the most vulnerable county residents.

At a budget hearing held in Saranac Lake last week, legislators heard two cost-saving suggestions that included creating a special taxing district for the St. Lawrence Gas pipeline so that only those who will benefit from it are taxed for it.

But Legislature Chairman Guy "Tim" Smith (D-Fort Covington) said that cannot be done because the county has a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with the company that will phase in and generate revenue once the gas service begins.

The other was to take over control of the Adirondack Regional Airport from the Town of Harrietstown since it is a county asset.

A third suggestion was for the county to sue the state for failing to fulfill its obligation to provide funding for programs it wants counties to run.

Richard Sergeant of Fort Covington asked the county to show him an agreement ratified by U.S. Congress that gives government the taxing authority on Indian reservations, speaking specifically about the land claim area of Akwesasne in Fort Covington. Without that document, he said, the county has no right to tax property owners there, and in fact, to do so is illegal.

Email Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com