The $103.8 million recommended budget is up from 2001's $102 million, but the $50.9 million local share - the portion of the County budget that is supported by locally generated revenues - shows a $1.6 million reduction in spending. Whicher commended departments that followed the Board's instructions to reduce their local spending by 2 percent over 2001. Budget reductions are necessary to avoid an unacceptably high tax increase, most Board members have agreed. Whicher warned that his recommendations are extremely conservative and that some of his decisions will not be popular. 

Whicher also mentioned that potential failure of the state budget to continue funding various human services programs could put additional pressure on the County's finances.

Over the past six years, as the County's surplus funds have grown, legislators have used the surplus - also called the fund balance - to prevent large tax increases. Nearly $5 million of surplus was pumped into the 2001 budget. Now fund balance growth has stalled, and the County is faced with cutting expenses or raising taxes to fill the gap. All of the currently available fund balance, about $2.3 million, is allocated in the Administrator's recommendations for 2002.

The County Administrator's recommended budget is the document the Board will use over the next two-and-a-half months as it pours over each department and agency request. All 2002 budget requests, along with Whicher's recommendations, will be available for public viewing on August 29 and will be scrutinized by the Board's program committees in September. Committee recommendations will then be reviewed by the Expanded Budget Committee in October. A proposed budget will be passed at the end of the October meetings, and a public hearing and final vote will be held in November. Contact: County Administrator Steve Whicher, 274-5551.

TOMPKINS HAS LOWEST PROPERTY TAX RATE AMONG SIX NEIGHBORING COUNTIES; TAXES LOWER THAN MANY SIMILAR COUNTIES STATEWIDE
Tompkins County's property tax rate is lower than the rate in five counties surrounding it, according to a compilation of data from the New York State Board of Equalization and Assessment. At $5.44 of property tax per $1,000 of assessed value, Tompkins' rate is less that of Cayuga ($7.23), Chemung ($7.87), Cortland ($10.46), Seneca ($5.65), and Tioga ($8.44) counties. Schuyler County was inadvertently not included in the comparison and will be added. In a separate study, property and sales taxes were compared in 21 counties similar to Tompkins in population and per capita income. With "1" as a ranking for the county with the lowest property tax per assessed value, Tompkins' rank is 6. Tompkins also ranks low in property tax and sales tax per capita. Contact: County Administrator Steve Whicher, 274-5551. 

ONE PERCENT SALES TAX EXTENDED TO 2003
By a vote of 11-3 (Reps. Joe Lalley, Frank Proto, and Nancy Schuler were opposed; Rep. Stuart Stein was absent), the Board approved an extension to November 30, 2003 of the 1 percent sales tax instituted in 1993. Tompkins County's total sales tax is 8 percent, with 4 percent going to New York State, and 4 percent shared among the County, City of Ithaca, and the towns and villages. Contact: Rep. Tim Joseph, Chair, Budget Committee, 277-2519.

BOARD APPROVES PAYMENT OF LEGAL FEES FOR TOWN LAWSUIT
The Board unanimously approved payment from its contingent fund of $30,849.40 for legal services related to the redistricting lawsuit brought by the Town of Ithaca and other plaintiffs. The total cost of responding to the lawsuit is estimated to be $65,000. The lawsuit has been dismissed twice. Contact: Michael Koplinka-Loehr, Chair, Government Operations Committee, 257-2329.

COUNTY SUPPORTS TOWN OF DRYDEN IN REQUEST FOR UNUSED BUILDING
The Board unanimously supported a request by the Town of Dryden to acquire a former water treatment plant from New York State Electric and Gas. The Town would like to use the building as a water storage facility for volunteer fire companies. Contact: George Totman, Chair, Public Safety Committee, 838-3444

MINK RE-ACTIVATES LIBRARY COMMITTEE
County Board Chair Barbara Mink asked Rep. Frank Proto to chair a new incarnation of the Library Coordination Committee that studied staffing, funding, delivery of services and other aspects of libraries in the county in 1999. This time the committee's charge is to explore alternative ways of funding public libraries and reading rooms. One idea that has been raised is a countywide library district. Contact: Rep. Barbara Mink, Board Chair, 274-5434, 273-7847; Rep. Frank Proto, 277-4875.
 
 
 

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