BOARD ASKS FOR BUDGET REDUCTIONS IN 2002

By a vote of 13-2 (Reps. Susanne Davis and Dooley Kiefer voted no), the Board of Representatives set guidelines that may lower local spending in the 2002 County budget. County departments, as well as agencies that receive County funding, will be directed to propose a 2 percent cut in the portions of their base budgets that are funded locally. For the past several years, the County has been able to use surplus funds to support over-target and other requests. In 2002, the legislators are looking at a smaller surplus. Supporters of the proposed cut to base budgets believe the reduction will help avoid a large tax increase to cover the gap.

County departments will also be asked to absorb previously-negotiated pay increases averaging 4 percent, as well as the cost of an anticipated increase in contributions to the state retirement system. The Board will allow requests for additional funding – which the County calls "over-target requests" – but legislators are sending a message to departments and agencies to expect fewer approvals. Departments will also be required to submit three-year budget projections to help legislators plan beyond 2002.

The part of the County budget that is largely supported with state and federal aid will not be affected by the 2 percent reduction. The remaining portion, called the "local share," is subject to the proposed cut. The local share is primarily raised by sales and property tax and constitutes slightly less than half of the total budget.

In a related matter, the Board voted unanimously to allocate a total of $412,092 in "rollover" funds to various departments. Rollover is money unused in previous years that is rolled into the current year’s budget.

Departments and agencies must submit budgets by July 2 to County Administration for the first pass-through. In August, the Administrator’s recommendations are presented to the Board of Representatives, which spends September and October on its own review. A proposed budget will be ready toward the end of October, with a vote in mid-November. Tompkins County budgets run on the calendar year.

2001 Tompkins County budget: $105,624,089

Local share (primarily raised by sales and property tax): $49,266,781

2001 County property tax rate: $5.44 per each $1,000 of assessed value

SHERIFF’S OFFICE WILL PUT COMMUNITY POLICING GRANT TO USE

The Board officially accepted a federal grant received by the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office for community policing. The Department of Justice grant will pay 75 percent of a deputy’s salary for three years, up to $75,000. Community policing allows an officer to consistently work in the same geographic area and to know and be known by residents. Sheriff Peter Meskill reports that the community officer will work out of the Newfield satellite office.

COUNTY RECEIVES $144,300 IN FORECLOSURE AUCTION

Finance Director David Squires announced that the annual auction of properties that must be sold to recoup back taxes brought in a total of $144,300. All 15 foreclosed properties offered for bid on May 19 were sold, and all but one of the buyers has completed payment. The net proceeds of the sale will be used to reimburse the County for unpaid property taxes and interest.