By DENISE A. RAYMO
Staff Writer
MALONE — Programs, services and positions not fully reimbursed with state or federal funding are among the first targets in the 2011 Franklin County budget.
At the same time, health-insurance costs are up 30 percent, employee raises average 4.54 percent, and sales-tax projections are down.
Legislators must also find $1.452 million promised to St. Lawrence Gas to extend its natural-gas pipeline, consider funding for proposed construction at North Country Community College and pay the first debt-service installment on the $5.9 million addition to the County Courthouse.
READY TO CUT
County Manager and Budget Officer James Feeley walked the seven-member panel through an incomplete list of department-head requests Thursday.
He did not have numbers from the Tourism Department, Highway Department, Sheriff's Department, County Jail and some contract agencies funded in previous budgets.
Feeley will set up meetings as soon as he can with representatives of the largest county agencies so everyone can begin trimming numbers.
The agencies include the Department of Social Services, Probation, the County Nursing Home, Public Health Nursing Services and Community Services, which includes programs addressing mental health, alcohol and substance abuse and handicapped preschool.
Every $112,000 cut from the submitted proposals would reduce the anticipated tax levy by 1 percent, Feeley said.
He must submit a tentative budget to legislators by Oct. 1.
NURSING HOME
The County Nursing Home will be especially scrutinized since it is estimated to be over budget by more than $2 million in 2011.
Its projected expenses ($7,675,868) exceed its projected revenue ($5,659,820) by $2,016,047 in the budget request.
Legislator Timothy Burpoe (D-Saranac Lake) said it is hard to justify operating the Nursing Home when the cost overrun averages $25,200 per person served.
"We have to make a decision whether we provide a certain service or not. We're looking at a $2 million expense for an 80-bed facility. What's the math? Is this in the best interest of Franklin County?"
Chairman Guy "Tim" Smith (D-Fort Covington) said the same could be said for the County Jail, which is also operated at great expense for the small population served.
The 2010 budget for the Sheriff's Department was $5,523,215.
PARTIALLY FUNDED
As they continued to review the data Feeley supplied, legislators reasoned that just because the county receives partial funding to provide a program or service doesn't mean it must continue financing it at a loss.
For example, department heads may have to justify retaining an employee whose salary is reimbursed at 70 percent and determine the true value the programs have to taxpayers.
Feeley said legislators will ultimately determine if the county is participating in a state or federally funded program just because the pot of money is there or whether the program truly is a benefit to residents.
If legislators are merely taking the money because it's available, "that's a self-inflicted mandate," he said.
Legislators wanted to know what penalties or sanctions they face if they do not provide certain state-mandated programs.
They also want to weigh whether paying the penalty would be less expensive than actually providing the service.
E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com
