More than $1m cut from budget

CANTON — St. Lawrence County lawmakers voted to cut more than $1 million from next year's proposed 2010 spending plan Tuesday night, laying off three part-time Public Health nurses and eliminating five vacant full-time Highway Department positions.

Legislators on Monday also agreed to chop $57,654 from a program designed to keep the elderly in their homes longer.

"With the changes you've made tonight, we are roughly $1.2 million under the tentative budget," County Administrator Karen M. St. Hilaire told legislators.

The original budget proposal presented Oct. 5 totaled $222 million and called for a $2.8 million tax levy increase. Ms. St. Hilaire said a full accounting of changes approved so far will be available Monday.

Lawmakers had asked Public Health officials to cut $300,000 and the Highway Department to cut $1 million from next year's plan. From that request, legislators on Tuesday trimmed $743,703 from Highway and $292,258 from Public Health.

Public Health officials propose to convert five part-time registered nurse positions in the jail to two full-time positions, laying off three nurses.

"The hours are minimal, and four out of five of these nurses have other full-time jobs," said Robert Santamoor, Public Health's fiscal officer. "We really don't think we'll be hurting anyone. We think we can use existing staff to fill the full-time positions."

Social Services officials at Tuesday's session resisted a request for the department to follow suit in proposing budget cuts. The department's costs are expected to rise 4.5 percent next year, from $62,862,068 to $65,710,428. The county will pay $29,822,664 of that cost, an increase of $1,229,590 over 2009.

"That the cost has not risen more is due to the heroic work of your staff," Christopher R. Rediehs, Social Services commissioner, told lawmakers. "You may want to consider putting money in contingency for us rather than cutting our budget."

"Other folks stepped to the plate, and you didn't," said Legislator Alexander A. MacKinnon, R-Fowler. "We're all going through the same thing. I don't think that's an acceptable answer."

"I wish times were better, but they are not. More people are coming to the county for help than ever before," said Legislator Vernon D. "Sam" Burns, D-Ogdensburg. "It scares me that the Social Services budget might be too bare-bones."

The program that aims to keep failing seniors out of nursing homes for as long as possible also saw a significant cut.

The Expanded In-home Services for the Elderly Program has been carrying an unsustainable case load, Michael J. Cunningham, interim Office for the Aging director told legislators. The program helps senior citizens with tasks like bathing, eating and house cleaning, and currently has 120 clients, Mr. Cunningham said.

The state annually provides a fixed pool of aid for the program and the county pays the rest, Mr. Cunningham said. He said the non-mandated program's cost has risen in the last few years, and officials pared it down to help pare next year's proposed $222 million budget.

"I can't foresee shutting it down entirely, but we'll have to be careful about the number of people we can accept," he said. "There will be a waiting list."

Legislators on Monday agreed to cut $57,654 from the program. Mr. Cunningham said the cut will result in a four- to five-month waiting list for new applicants.

Applicants will be screened based on their level of need, with top priority going to seniors who live alone and do not have anyone to help them.

"Those people are less apt to be on a waiting list than the lowest priority," Mr. Cunningham said.

The lowest priority applicants will be those who might not live alone and have family or community support.

Legislator Tedra L. Cobb, D-Canton, a member of the Office for the Aging Advisory Council said the program will have to be closely tracked to ensure more seniors are not forced to seek nursing home care, eventually increasing Medicaid costs.

"Since we've never had a waiting list, we really don't know what will happen," Ms. Cobb said. "I hope we'll be able to manage that, and those people most at risk of not being able to stay in their homes can get help."