Rensselaer County Legislature Unanimously Adopts 2017 Budget
By Doug La Rocque
By a vote of 17-0, the County Legislature approved the 338.6-million-dollar spending plan that calls for a 1.4 % increase in the property tax levy. [private]The average tax rate would increase by .06%, though the change from the current year’s rate will vary from one municipality to another. The variance is due to each municipality’s equalization rate. Legislative Chairman Stan Brownell of Hoosick Falls said “Rensselaer County can be proud that we have stayed under the tax cap for six consecutive years, thanks to careful management and an emphasis on doing more with less. That is good news for our taxpayers.”
Changes For The County Highway Department
The Grafton garage will see the biggest impact of the changes. For many years four plows have worked out of the facility during the winter, but that might be reduced to as little as one. County Executive Kathy Jimino said, “What we were finding is some of the trucks coming out of the Grafton facility were not putting a plow down for 40 minutes until they got to where the route started. So we are going to be re-positioning some of the trucks so we can get to those routes more quickly.” This includes re-locating one of the trucks to the Schaghticoke Highway Garage. Jimino also indicated that Grafton’s garage is the only one in the County that is not heated, and time spent warming up these vehicles also comes into play. The proposed relocation does not mean a reduction in workforce. Jimino said in fact they are looking to add another 2 positions, probably as truck drivers.
2016 saw several more highway re-paving projects than in past years, and county officials say this will continue and even increase in 2017. The money for the increase comes from the second year of the state’s Re-pave New York program, over $900,000 dollars from licensing fees directed to the county from the new Rivers Casino in Schenectady and earmarked for road improvements, and $200,000 moved to the Highway Department budget from the county’s legislative savings.
Expanding The Environmental Health Services
In part because of the PFOA situations in sections of Eastern Rensselaer County, County Executive Jimino said they are adding one position to the Health Department. “We put this position in so we could continue the day to day work of the environmental health unit, inspecting septic systems and food places, while at the same time being able to deal with the PFOA situation in the eastern portion of the county and any new requirements coming down from the state.” Legislative Chairman Brownell also pointed out the lawmakers just two weeks ago also called upon the federal government to provide a clear timeline for remediation of properties in Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh with PFOAs particularly if these properties are added to the Superfund list.
State-Mandated Programs Again Take The Lion’s Share Of The Budget
It has been a topic of concern voiced by the County Executive and the Legislative Chairman for many years, and is no different for the 2017 budget. Jimino said once again, 89 cents of every tax dollar collected will go to pay for these mandates, leaving just 11 cents to fund local services. Another area where the County has had to carry more weight is funding Hudson Valley Community College. The original plan for the Community Colleges was for them to be funded one third by the students, one third by the counties they service, and one third by New York state. Jimino said, “The State has not been living up to their one third share. The pressure that was putting on was between the students and the County, so we increased our share a bit, and brought Hudson Valley to the table, and asked them to make some reductions in their expenses. And I think we are seeing some benefit from that for the students.”
Jimino and Brownell also expressed thanks to all those who worked on the budget from beginning to end. The County Executive adds she believes that in the many years she had been in office, this is the first time the budget has been passed unanimously. [/private]