County leaders optimistic over state budget proposal
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Jan. 20—PLATTSBURGH — Tri-county leaders see much to like in Gov. Kathy Hochul's $216.3 billion budget proposal, including infrastructure and broadband investments, acceleration of the middle-class tax cut and help for small businesses.
"But they have to be weighed, all of this I think, needs to be weighed against what is going to be the tax liability for everyone," Clinton County Legislature Chair Mark Henry (R-Area 3, Chazy) told the Press-Republican.
"Hopefully this will be a balanced budget. We often hear that there's tax cuts, but they don't really materialize, so I'm hopeful that with the issues that we have with high taxes in New York State that this will not unfairly impact the taxpayers."
'WE'LL SEE'
In her presentation, Hochul touted the Fiscal Year 2023 proposal — which covers April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023 — as balanced, and said that could continue through Fiscal Year 2027.
Henry said he believes the governor believes that's true, but noted the spending plan has to go through the Assembly and State Senate. The budget has to be approved by April 1 of each year.
"We'll see what the final product looks like," he said.
In addition to a final budget that does not increase taxes, Henry hopes not to see any new unfunded mandates, which he feels the state should take care of instead of letting the burden fall on local municipalities and taxpayers.
ESSEX COUNTY
Essex County Board of Supervisors Chair Shaun Gillilland (R-Willsboro) said he was still digging through the proposed budget Wednesday, but that his county was happy to see money for water and sewer infrastructure as well as broadband included.
The county had also been anxious to ensure appropriations from the state Department of Environmental Conservation for solid waste removal would be restored. Essex and Hamilton counties cannot house landfills as they reside wholly within the Adirondack Park, so they have to truck their trash to other counties for disposal, Gillilland explained.
He said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos told him the funding was in the proposal.
Other perennial Essex County priorities, the chair continued, include expansion of cellular service and the need for more forest rangers due to the increase in visitors to the park.
DISTRESSED HOSPITAL FUND
Gillilland was glad to see that Hochul's budget would end the use of county sales-tax revenues to fund Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM) payments, making those come out of the State General Fund instead.
However, it would also make diversions to the Distressed Provider Relief Fund permanent. The stated intent of that program is to generate $250 million annually to support financially distressed hospitals throughout the state. It was put into place in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget and is slated to end March 31, 2022.
Gillilland said the proposal to make it permanent was very unfortunate.
"So far from what we've seen, the state has not given any money to distressed hospitals," he said. "The money's being taken from us and being held at the state.
"We are the second largest geographic county in the state. We really don't have a metropolitan-type of hospital, we have small hospitals and most patients are triaged to others. I don't think the distressed hospital fund is being very well administered."
Franklin County Legislature Chair Donald Dabiew (D-District 5) similarly said he does not believe Franklin County gets its fair share of those monies.
"It goes to bigger hospitals rather than smaller areas. We lose our sales tax that we don't get back, ever."
NOT A BAD TIME
But overall, Gillilland appeared in decent spirits about the executive budget.
"I would say that, in the last couple of years when the budget has come out, it has been a very bad time. I wouldn't say it's a bad time."
Asked to elaborate, he pointed to the recognition of local governments and all they have gone through during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There's no red hot areas that we're displeased with, I would say."
Other local government-related provisions noted in Hochul's executive budget include additional public health and cybersecurity funding, the provision to counties of permanent authority to set a local sales tax rate of up to 4% or their current rate if higher, more transportation funding and the continued state takeover of increases in Medicaid costs.
Email Cara Chapman:
Twitter: @PPR_carachapman
