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December 9, 2009

County legislators easily approve 2010 budget

By JOE LOTEMPLIO

PLATTSBURGH — Clinton County legislators gladly approved the 2010 budget Wednesday night.

“With the large cloud hanging over the state, the fact that we have a budget with a tax-levy increase of just 0.8 percent is absolutely amazing,” Legislator Robert Butler (R-Area 6, Saranac) said.

The 2010 budget features an increase in the tax levy of 0.8 percent and a 2-percent drop in the tax rate from $6 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $5.88.

The total budget is $158,065,016, up $1,092,362.

There are no service or position cuts in the spending plan.

“The fact that no services or positions were cut and the budget meets the needs of county residents is unbelievable,” Butler said.

Butler said that with state retirement costs and just about all expenses going up, he could not believe how County Administrator Michael Zurlo, who serves as budget officer, kept the tax levy so low.

“With the department heads this was a total team effort and a real positive for the taxpayers of this county,” Butler said.

Keith Defayette (R-Area 5, Schuyler Falls) said that while the 2010 budget may be good, county leaders need to brace themselves for the next budget.

“I would caution everybody because it looks like we are going to be in for a couple of tough years,” Defayette said.

“The ineffective leadership in Albany has been terrible and it is unbelievable that the voters keep re-electing these people,” Defayette added.

“The governor is trying, but he can’t even get people in his own party on board.”

Defayette said the state is broke and counties will eventually feel the pinch.

“It is going to fall downward and we need to be prepared.”

John Gallagher (D-Area 9, City of Plattsburgh) agreed with Defayette.

“Somehow in this state it seems that the solution is always to put it on the backs of the most honest person out there: the taxpayer,” Gallagher said.

Robert Heins (R-Area 10, City of Plattsburgh), who is chairman of the county Finance Committee, said the budget was especially impressive given the fact that sales-tax revenue was down.

“To get it to this point really says something,” Heins said.

Sales-tax revenue has been a boon for the county the past decade, but projections for the end of this year show that the county may just barely meet its goal.

Legislature Chairman Jimmy Langley (R-Area 7, Peru) said that while Zurlo and the county staff deserves credit, so do his fellow legislators.

“Last year when we had some money we had the foresight to pay down some debt instead of spending it, and that really helped this year,” Langley said.

“You all deserve compliments for having that foresight.”

Sara Rowden (D-Area 4, Town of Plattsburgh) said the budget is realistic.

“We made some smart decisions that make sense fiscally and not just politically and this is not an artificial budget,” she said.

Legislators unanimously approved the spending plan.



E-mail Joe LoTemplio at:

jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com

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