Suburban lawmakers say their areas will suffer more.
Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney.Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney scored a victory in her budget battle with lawmakers today when the county Legislature overrode just $4.2 million of her $24 million in spending plan vetoes.
The six Democrats legislators at today’s special session joined forces with Mahoney, refusing multiple times to join Republican lawmakers in a vote to override her vetoes. Most of the votes were 12-6 in favor of overriding the vetoes, with Republicans in favor and the Democrats against. But 13 votes were required for an override.
Republicans needed at least one Democrat to join them, but did not get that one for most of the votes.
Several Republican lawmakers said the result of today’s votes will be higher property taxes in many of the county’s suburban towns. They accused the Democrats, who mostly represent the city of Syracuse, of not caring about raising taxes in the suburbs.
The Legislature did vote 18-0 to override three of her vetoes. They totaled $4.2 million and involved the use of county reserve funds and higher estimates of tax collections next year.
Lawmakers voted 15-3 Oct. 12 to make $45 million in changes to her proposed $1.12 billion spending plan for 2011. Those changes lowered the county property tax levy — the amount it raises from property taxes — by $45 million. But Mahoney said $35 million of those changes were budget gimmicks rather than actual spending cuts, and she vetoed $24 million of them.
The biggest item she vetoed was the use of $12 million from the county’s general fund balance — its savings account — to lower the property tax levy. Mahoney said that would help create a budget gap in 2012.
Democratic Floor Leader Mark Stanczyk, of Syracuse, who had voted to tap the fund balance, switched his position today and voted not to override Mahoney’s veto. Stanczyk said he wanted to make sure the county had “a little more flexibility” by not spending the fund balance.
A mix of Republicans and Democrats refused to override Mahoney’s veto of the sale of the Sheriff’s Department’s helicopter, Air 1. That cancels any plan to sell the copter.