Public hearing Tuesday on county budget
NORWICH – The public will have the opportunity to weigh in on next year’s proposed $76.4 million budget for Chenango County government at a public hearing set for 8 p.m. Tuesday at the County Office Building, 5 Court St.
The budget projects a $16.08 tax rate per $1,000 of assessed property value, representing a 4.06 percent, or 68 cent, decrease from last year on the average countywide tax rate. Individual municipalities’ rates are based on accessed property values and equalization rates. Those figures will be available at the public hearing.
Though the budget shows a decrease, town leaders attending last Monday’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors were quick to point out that most of the decrease is attributed to higher property valuation rates in a handful of towns. New Berlin (100 percent), Coventry (93 percent) and Sherburne’s (90 percent) equalization rates were all recently reevaluated.
Also, calculations showing a 4.19 percent growth in taxable assessed property value includes only 1.3 percent due to new construction. And, only 2 of the 68 cents is an actual decrease, and most of that is due to a New York State cap on Medicaid that went into affect this year.
“To put this in perspective, we have not really cut the budget. The tax rate is down, but not the amount we’re spending,” James J. McNeil, D-City of Norwich, said.
Chenango County Treasurer William E. Evans said actual bricks and mortar growth is up from less than 1 percent back in 2001. “Hopefully this is a sign of things to come, but historically we do not grow by leaps and bounds. We certainly don’t grow as fast as some of the demands placed on local government does,” he said.
Supervisor James Bays, D-Smyrna, asked Evans to provide a comparison of growth with other counties in the state.
Town of Preston Supervisor Peter C. Flanagan suggested that because Federal Emergency Management Assistance reimbursements for flood repairs are “coming in faster” than 2005’s flood-related relief did, that highway spending might be “ratcheted back up” next year.
“That would be the plan,” Evans said.
The budget projects a $16.08 tax rate per $1,000 of assessed property value, representing a 4.06 percent, or 68 cent, decrease from last year on the average countywide tax rate. Individual municipalities’ rates are based on accessed property values and equalization rates. Those figures will be available at the public hearing.
Though the budget shows a decrease, town leaders attending last Monday’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors were quick to point out that most of the decrease is attributed to higher property valuation rates in a handful of towns. New Berlin (100 percent), Coventry (93 percent) and Sherburne’s (90 percent) equalization rates were all recently reevaluated.
Also, calculations showing a 4.19 percent growth in taxable assessed property value includes only 1.3 percent due to new construction. And, only 2 of the 68 cents is an actual decrease, and most of that is due to a New York State cap on Medicaid that went into affect this year.
“To put this in perspective, we have not really cut the budget. The tax rate is down, but not the amount we’re spending,” James J. McNeil, D-City of Norwich, said.
Chenango County Treasurer William E. Evans said actual bricks and mortar growth is up from less than 1 percent back in 2001. “Hopefully this is a sign of things to come, but historically we do not grow by leaps and bounds. We certainly don’t grow as fast as some of the demands placed on local government does,” he said.
Supervisor James Bays, D-Smyrna, asked Evans to provide a comparison of growth with other counties in the state.
Town of Preston Supervisor Peter C. Flanagan suggested that because Federal Emergency Management Assistance reimbursements for flood repairs are “coming in faster” than 2005’s flood-related relief did, that highway spending might be “ratcheted back up” next year.
“That would be the plan,” Evans said.
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