Chairman Decker remarks on potential budget cuts, revenue efforts
NORWICH – After the first two months of 2011, Chenango County lawmakers have found little success cutting government spending or taking advantage of the money-making opportunities available to them, no matter how slight.
This is not what they set out to do. Several supervisors echoed Town of Norwich’s David C. Law who in December, at budget making time, said: “Let’s get this job started next year in January, not in November. We need to look at everything in January and work right through. We can’t wait. The times are changing; we’ve got to make changes.”
New York State blasted counties with a 3 percent increase in spending requirements for mandated programs last year. Medicaid and other state and federal government programs increased Chenango County’s local share by more than $3 million. More and deeper increases loom ahead, according to Governor Cuomo’s budget plans.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard B. Decker took some time last week to remark on a short list of actions that were proposed at budget time in December, and that are beginning to make their way through the committee system. He said there are some additional cost-saving items in the preliminary stages that he’s not at liberty to discuss yet.
“The dynamics coming out of Washington, they are changing everything. Most counties really don’t know where to start with this. And we have no idea, yet, of what’s coming out of Albany,” he said.
But the chairman said he’d “support anything that’s going to save money. Every little step leads to a bigger step,” he said.
The chairman previously suggested that a personal income tax hike might relieve some of the pressure. Other suggestions have included contracting for public health nurses, finding another provider for the alcohol and drug program and consolidating Traffic and Stop DWI. As for existing government employees, Decker said there had been no discussion of lay-offs.
Can’t privatize public health nursing services
The idea, attributed to the supervisor from Pharsalia, to privatize public health nursing services was shut down in committee last week. Meeting in executive session, members of Health and Human Services learned that the county was mandated to treat and control communicable diseases and that no outside provider of the service existed.
“If it were possible, we’d do it,” said Decker, “but we can’t just abandon people who need these services.”
No steps taken to privatize alcohol and drug services
Supervisors had the chance to turn over the Mental Hygiene Services Department’s alcohol and drug unit to Chenango Memorial Hospital a few years ago, but voted it down. The idea was again floated during committee meetings last year. However, Decker said he had not contacted Chenango Memorial to ascertain whether they would be interested to contract for the care again. He said he doubted they would due to state and federal Medicaid cutbacks.
No savings through consolidation at Traffic and Stop DWI yet
There was much back and forth discussion about combining the Traffic and Stop DWI departments and cutting a part-time position in one of them last year, but the board ultimately decided it was too late in the year to do so. Town of Plymouth Supervisor Jerry Kreiner has pushed for the consolidation for the past two years as a member of the Safety & Rules Committee. The committee is currently waiting for more time-keeping and administrative data from the departments’ director before making a decision. Decker took Kreiner off the committee this year, so it’s unknown whether that move will be made.
Kreiner said he was taken off Safety & Rules because he was asking “the tough questions.”
Government personnel and their retirement and health care benefits cost approximately $30 million in 2010. Even though a considerable amount of that is reimbursed by federal and state offsets for the administration of mandated programs - which in many cases includes both the payroll and the fringe - lawmakers are constantly scrutinizing new hires and position refills and looking for private entities to provide the same service.
DPW refills two positions
The director of highway maintenance found success refilling two positions, one of which has been vacant for four months. Under discussion in committee, the supervisors from Preston and Plymouth objected to DPW Director Randy Gibbon’s request, suggesting that it should go through the committee system first to determine if a private contractor could do the work. Regardless, the committee voted to refill. Those refills will not go before board for approval because they are union positions.
Decker said all unmandated programs, including public works, the sheriff’s office, mental hygiene services, portions of social services and not-for-profit organizations were to be scrutinized. But most have been funded over the years, “and rightfully so,” he said.
“Look at the storm (last) Monday. We would have never got those roads plowed if it weren’t for the towns, county and city working together,” he said.
Not all towns help with county’s roads
About 20 percent of the county’s 308 miles of roads are plowed with assistance from town highway departments, and Decker said more towns have been coming on board to help. The towns are paid at the rate it would cost the county to do the work. According to Gibbon, the savings isn’t in dollars, but in response time and efficiency.
About half the towns have contracted with the county to plow county roads in or near enough to their jurisdictions. Pitcher and Preston are the most recent to do so. The following towns have not: Coventry, German, Guilford, McDonough, Norwich (city and town), Oxford, Pharsalia, Plymouth, Smyrna and Smithville.
Landfill still on the levy; tipping fees stagnant for 15 years
As he does every January, Supervisor Peter C. Flanagan suggested raising tipping fees at the county’s landfill as a way to fund the department off of the levy. It has been 15 years since the county raised tipping fees. His suggestion was not made into a motion though, nor did it receive much support yet this year.
Leasing tower space to cellular companies slow-gowing; fuel sales at airport impeded by bureaucracy
Other money-making opportunities have been slow coming, such as fuel sales at the county airport and contracting with a cellular phone company to put their equipment on the county’s new 911 emergency management towers. Decker said the county is waiting to hear back on an agreement regarding installations on at least two towers. Fuel sales at the airport haven’t grown as anticipated because the county’s attorney and Planning and Economic Development Committee cannot agree on a company that would supply a credit card reader system.
This is not what they set out to do. Several supervisors echoed Town of Norwich’s David C. Law who in December, at budget making time, said: “Let’s get this job started next year in January, not in November. We need to look at everything in January and work right through. We can’t wait. The times are changing; we’ve got to make changes.”
New York State blasted counties with a 3 percent increase in spending requirements for mandated programs last year. Medicaid and other state and federal government programs increased Chenango County’s local share by more than $3 million. More and deeper increases loom ahead, according to Governor Cuomo’s budget plans.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard B. Decker took some time last week to remark on a short list of actions that were proposed at budget time in December, and that are beginning to make their way through the committee system. He said there are some additional cost-saving items in the preliminary stages that he’s not at liberty to discuss yet.
“The dynamics coming out of Washington, they are changing everything. Most counties really don’t know where to start with this. And we have no idea, yet, of what’s coming out of Albany,” he said.
But the chairman said he’d “support anything that’s going to save money. Every little step leads to a bigger step,” he said.
The chairman previously suggested that a personal income tax hike might relieve some of the pressure. Other suggestions have included contracting for public health nurses, finding another provider for the alcohol and drug program and consolidating Traffic and Stop DWI. As for existing government employees, Decker said there had been no discussion of lay-offs.
Can’t privatize public health nursing services
The idea, attributed to the supervisor from Pharsalia, to privatize public health nursing services was shut down in committee last week. Meeting in executive session, members of Health and Human Services learned that the county was mandated to treat and control communicable diseases and that no outside provider of the service existed.
“If it were possible, we’d do it,” said Decker, “but we can’t just abandon people who need these services.”
No steps taken to privatize alcohol and drug services
Supervisors had the chance to turn over the Mental Hygiene Services Department’s alcohol and drug unit to Chenango Memorial Hospital a few years ago, but voted it down. The idea was again floated during committee meetings last year. However, Decker said he had not contacted Chenango Memorial to ascertain whether they would be interested to contract for the care again. He said he doubted they would due to state and federal Medicaid cutbacks.
No savings through consolidation at Traffic and Stop DWI yet
There was much back and forth discussion about combining the Traffic and Stop DWI departments and cutting a part-time position in one of them last year, but the board ultimately decided it was too late in the year to do so. Town of Plymouth Supervisor Jerry Kreiner has pushed for the consolidation for the past two years as a member of the Safety & Rules Committee. The committee is currently waiting for more time-keeping and administrative data from the departments’ director before making a decision. Decker took Kreiner off the committee this year, so it’s unknown whether that move will be made.
Kreiner said he was taken off Safety & Rules because he was asking “the tough questions.”
Government personnel and their retirement and health care benefits cost approximately $30 million in 2010. Even though a considerable amount of that is reimbursed by federal and state offsets for the administration of mandated programs - which in many cases includes both the payroll and the fringe - lawmakers are constantly scrutinizing new hires and position refills and looking for private entities to provide the same service.
DPW refills two positions
The director of highway maintenance found success refilling two positions, one of which has been vacant for four months. Under discussion in committee, the supervisors from Preston and Plymouth objected to DPW Director Randy Gibbon’s request, suggesting that it should go through the committee system first to determine if a private contractor could do the work. Regardless, the committee voted to refill. Those refills will not go before board for approval because they are union positions.
Decker said all unmandated programs, including public works, the sheriff’s office, mental hygiene services, portions of social services and not-for-profit organizations were to be scrutinized. But most have been funded over the years, “and rightfully so,” he said.
“Look at the storm (last) Monday. We would have never got those roads plowed if it weren’t for the towns, county and city working together,” he said.
Not all towns help with county’s roads
About 20 percent of the county’s 308 miles of roads are plowed with assistance from town highway departments, and Decker said more towns have been coming on board to help. The towns are paid at the rate it would cost the county to do the work. According to Gibbon, the savings isn’t in dollars, but in response time and efficiency.
About half the towns have contracted with the county to plow county roads in or near enough to their jurisdictions. Pitcher and Preston are the most recent to do so. The following towns have not: Coventry, German, Guilford, McDonough, Norwich (city and town), Oxford, Pharsalia, Plymouth, Smyrna and Smithville.
Landfill still on the levy; tipping fees stagnant for 15 years
As he does every January, Supervisor Peter C. Flanagan suggested raising tipping fees at the county’s landfill as a way to fund the department off of the levy. It has been 15 years since the county raised tipping fees. His suggestion was not made into a motion though, nor did it receive much support yet this year.
Leasing tower space to cellular companies slow-gowing; fuel sales at airport impeded by bureaucracy
Other money-making opportunities have been slow coming, such as fuel sales at the county airport and contracting with a cellular phone company to put their equipment on the county’s new 911 emergency management towers. Decker said the county is waiting to hear back on an agreement regarding installations on at least two towers. Fuel sales at the airport haven’t grown as anticipated because the county’s attorney and Planning and Economic Development Committee cannot agree on a company that would supply a credit card reader system.
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