Oswego, NY -- Oswego County residents will see their county taxes go down slightly if the county legislature approves the county budget proposed for 2011. The legislature must approve a spending plan by Dec. 20. Standing committees will review parts of the budget particular to the departments they oversee during October and November. The committees may make recommendations for changes...
Oswego, NY -- Oswego County residents will see their county taxes go down slightly if the county legislature approves the county budget proposed for 2011.
The legislature must approve a spending plan by Dec. 20. Standing committees will review parts of the budget particular to the departments they oversee during October and November. The committees may make recommendations for changes to the Finance and Personnel Committee for its Dec. 7 meeting.
A public hearing on the budget is Dec. 16.
County Administrator Philip Church presented his proposed budget Tuesday to Finance and Personnel. No one asked questions about the proposed spending plan.
The committee wants the time to review the proposal thoroughly before asking questions, said its chairman, Arthur Ospelt, R-Pennellville.
Church said this was the toughest budget year since he became administrator in 2007. The state has thrust more mandates on the county without money to pay for the mandates and has eliminated state funding for some programs, he said.
For example, state aid was cut for the public nursing program — $268,000 the county will have to pick up. There are more mandates for running the jail, which will cost the county an additional $496,000, Church said.
But he said his goal was to keep taxes at no increase and his proposed plan "will be the seventh year that the tax rate in Oswego County is not increased and the second consecutive year the rate has decreased."
The $189,363,300 budget plan for 2011 is about $4 million higher than the 2010 budget. The tax rate is $7.07 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, down from $7.16 per $1,000 in 2010.
For a house assessed at full value for $80,000, that is a savings of $7.20 for the year.
Some areas of savings include decreases in workers’ compensation and education and transportation costs for children with special needs, savings of about $953,000 by delaying hiring of personnel, and reduced foster care costs. Meanwhile, the full value of Oswego County property increased by $45 million.
The proposed budget includes 3 percent raises for all legislature members. They gave up their raises last year.
Contact Debra J. Groom at dgroom@syracuse.com, 470-3254 or 251-5586.