Essex County budget tax hike reduced to 2 percent

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November 25, 2009

By LOHR McKINSTRY The Press Republican Wed Nov 25, 2009, 10:28 PM EST

ELIZABETHTOWN — Giving lower raises and moving some expenses around reduced Essex County's projected 2010 tax increase from 5 to 2 percent.

The County Board of Supervisors went into special session Wednesday morning to try to reduce the proposed $96.2 million budget enough to also lower its 5-percent increase in the amount to be raised by taxes.

At the end of the session they'd saved $365,000, enough to put the tax-levy increase at just 2 percent.

Supervisor Daniel Connell (D-Westport) noted that the county hasn't had a tax-levy increase in five years.

"To go from zero to 5 percent I think is too much. We should not have done zero percent for the last few years."

The board had to work without the advice of County Manager Daniel Palmer, who was reported out with H1N1 flu.

Supervisor Thomas Scozzafava (R-Moriah), who chairs the County Finance Committee, said the reduction wouldn't be official until it's voted on after the 7 p.m. Tuesday public hearing on the budget.

"You can't make changes to the tentative budget. If there are changes the board wants to make we can draft a resolution for adoption with the final budget."

Scozzafava, flanked by County Purchasing Agent Linda Wolf, went through the budget item by item.

Under the original tentative budget filed by Palmer, the levy would have risen 5 percent, from $13.2 million to $13.9 million. The changes Wednesday would reduce the levy to under $13.6 million.

The major alteration made by the board was to reduce management raises from 4.25 percent to 2 percent. Members of the Civil Service Employees Association local unit will still get 4.25-percent raises; they just won't be passed along to county workers who are not covered by the union contract.

Reducing the raises saves about $130,000, and using Stop-DWI Program funds to buy one of three new vehicles requested by Sheriff Henry Hommes will save another $30,000.

Lawmakers also decided to move $204,000 for three-dimensional aerial photography called Pictometry from the county budget to a bond issue for the new county public-safety radio system. The Pictometry images are used by the County Enhanced 911 center in Lewis.

The 4.25-percent union pay hike sounds like a lot, but Essex County did away with step increases, said Supervisor Roby Politi (R-North Elba).

"Most counties include longevity benefits as an additional add-on. If another county did 3 percent it would be 3 percent plus longevity, which could run in the range of 2 to 3 percent."

Connell said there were union givebacks in other areas to get to 4.25 percent.

"If you look at the total benefit package, we felt we did the best we could for employees and taxpayers both."

"In this economy, I think 4.25 percent is insanity," Scozzafava said. "You don't find that happening in the private sector.

"If you give our public defender 4.25 percent, he's going to be making more than our district attorney," he added.

The $119,000 annual DA salary is set by the state and hasn't been changed in several years.

"Next year, you've got to look at a (wage) freeze," Supervisor Randy Preston (I-Wilmington) said.

Scozzafava said a deficit-reduction committee will be formed at Palmer's request to sharpen its pencil on the next spending plan.

Early estimates are that the 2011 budget could include a 38-percent tax-levy increase if revenues continue to drop.

E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com