By Doug La Rocque
“This budget is good news for residents and taxpayers, with the County avoiding a tax increase and remaining under the state tax cap for the eighth consecutive year. Rensselaer County is one of only a handful of counties to have stayed under the tax cap each year since it was implemented.” Those were the words of Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin after the County Legislature unanimously adopted the 2019 County Budget at a special meeting on Monday, December 3.
The Democratic minority members of the legislature all voted in favor, despite voicing some concerns about the budget last week. Legislative Minority Leader Peter Grimm labeled the document “a reasonable budget,” but came back to their concerns about the 287(g) program. This allows two corrections officers at the County jail to interview, obtain databases and possibly detain prisoners for immigration authorities. The minority lawmakers oppose this program, and Mr. Grimm said, “In discussions with the Sheriff, leading up to his signing the 287(g) agreement, we were told that this program would be a substantial source of revenue for the County, possibly in the millions. We have not seen any revenues or expenses identified in his budget. We would like to see them in future budgets, as well as total openness with all statistics associated with this program.
The spending plan totals $347 million, with over $30 million in reserves, which is within the prescribed limits set by the State Comptroller.
In his press release, Mr. McLaughlin said the County still faces significant challenges from unfunded state mandates. “Sadly, we must once again join county leaders across the State in asking leaders in Albany to adopt comprehensive reform of unfunded mandates. Failure to reform these mandates will mean continued heavy pressure on taxpayers and needed services, which is unfair on the local level,”concluded McLaughlin.