CHENANGO COUNTY – In terms of fiscal stress, Chenango County ranks among the top ten highest rated counties in New York State, according to a recent report received by the Chenango County Finance Committee.

The fiscal stress monitoring system, created and overseen by the New York State Comptroller’s Office, is a statewide initiative to keep municipalities out of the red. The higher the score on a fiscal stress report, the more susceptible a municipality is to potentially devastating financial burdens. Scores reported are based on financial and environmental factors such as a municipality’s total fund balance, operating deficit, debt, population, and poverty and unemployment rates.

According to the report, Chenango County earned a fiscal score of 12.9 percent for the 2012 fiscal year - welcome news, explained Chenango County Treasurer Bill Craine, because it keeps Chenango off a list of counties deemed susceptible to fiscal stress by state officials.

“This report is really established just to help keep counties on track.” Craine said, pointing to counties found to be under significant stress, including Monroe, Franklin, Saratoga, and Albany (the lowest rated counties in the report). “We believe this shows that our county Board of Supervisors have tried to manage things appropriately.”

The report also indicates the county took a hit in its overall score due to environmental facets, like a waning population - a common trend seen across the Southern Tier - and a local unemployment rate that had been greater than the statewide unemployment at the end of 2012.