NORWICH – City of Norwich Supervisor James J. McNeil opened discussion of the Chenango County draft 2011 budget on Monday by saying he opposed the application of surplus and wouldn’t vote to set a public hearing of the budget without first revising it.
The proposed $84.1 million budget calls for $3.7 million in surplus, a move designed to keep next year’s property taxes low. Real property taxes will increase 1.01 percent and the average tentative tax rate is $12.73 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Total budget appropriations are $3.3 million more than last year’s.
Monday’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors was an opportunity for lawmakers to set a date for the public hearing and determine whether or not to schedule special budget sessions leading up to it.
McNeil was joined by Town of Preston Supervisor Peter C. Flanagan in voting against setting the hearing, and – following a 30-minute executive session to discuss personnel issues – Flanagan cast the sole vote against doing away with the extra sessions.
“I cannot agree to a public hearing for this budget because the county general surplus exceeds any reasonable amount, and looking further down through the year, I can see we are facing further challenges,” said McNeil, a Democrat.
The application of surplus would leave the county government with $13 million at the beginning of January, about $5.4 million less (including other applications made this year) than where it began 2010.
Flanagan, also a Democrat, concurred with McNeil, and suggested a “modest” property tax hike in addition to finding spending cuts.
“As much as I hate to raise taxes, I’m opposed to using that much surplus,” he said.
The Preston supervisor said he had “very strong objections” to a budget that created a new position, and backfilled another. While the particulars weren’t discussed in open session, the promotion of Chenango County Emergency Management officer Matt Beckwith from deputy director to director at the beginning of the year, and later, from the Dispatch Center at the Sheriff’s Office to the Fire Department has been discussed repeatedly at the committee level. The moves leave a vacancy within the Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center, one Sheriff Ernest Cutting has stated he would fill as soon as possible.
Several large ticket items – from pension to health care – coupled with falling Medicaid coverage for social services resulted in the application of surplus, Chenango County Treasurer William E. Evans said.
“It all hit us at the same time. It was not a normal move, but it was not a normal year. I don’t know if there are going to be any normal years here,” he said.
Pharsalia Supervisor Dennis Brown suggested privatization of services, asking the unions to renegotiate their contracts and sending some services.
“Some service has got to stop,” he said. “We have reached that point. Instead of paying pensions and health care benefits, we have to see if that service can be provided in the private sector.”
“People’s taxes aren’t’ going down with this budget. The budget is increased by $3,300,000 and it’s coming from somewhere. Those towns that have equalization rates approaching 100 percent will be level, the rest of us are going to go up,” said Brown.
Supervisor James Bays, D-Smyrna, said he had spoken with some county employees who would be in favor of cutting the work week from 37.5 hours to 35 hours. Evans said he would be in favor of that suggestion but questioned whether unions contracts would permit it.
Chairman Lawrence Wilcox, R-Oxford, said his committee spent hours on the issue of applying surplus and was still unsettled.
“It’s not settled that we can fund this budget with surplus and go our merry ways,” he said.
He suggested, however, that alternatively cutting $1 million from government would amount to letting go of about 50 people.
“I don’t think this government is flush with people. I don’t feel comfortable laying off 50 people,” he said.
The public hearing of the draft 2011 budget is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 30.