St. Lawrence's budget hikes levy $2.8 million

CANTON — St. Lawrence County lawmakers Tuesday tentatively approved a 2010 budget that preserves the 2009 tax rate of $8.14 per $1,000 of assessed value, raises the levy by $2.8 million and preserves fund balance.

County taxpayers will have a chance to weigh in on next year's $222 million spending plan at a public hearing Tuesday. Lawmakers are expected to adopt it formally after the hearing.

Legislators adopted the budget by an 11-3 vote. Legislators Vernon D. "Sam" Burns, D-Ogdensburg, Donald A. Peck, R-Gouverneur, and David W. Forsythe, R-Lisbon, opposed it. Legislator Daniel J. Girard, D-Louisville, was absent.

"We have asked our department heads to make do with less. We're placing a wage freeze on our employees next year," Mr. Peck said. "We have to look to 2011, and I think that means looking at raising the sales tax."

Lawmakers have cut the budget originally proposed Oct. 5 by $1,205,700, which more than cancels out the $1,179,948 officials expected to spend from fund balance. Next year's tax levy will increase from $39,784,072 to $42,584,138.

"I don't think we should be adding to our fund balance," Mr. Burns said. "We should be using that money to lower the tax rate."

Legislator Frederick S. Morrill, D-DeKalb Junction, said he also thought the cuts should have lowered taxes, but did not feel strongly enough to vote against the budget.

He also said that although the budget still freezes 2009 employee wages to save $1.3 million in retroactive pay raises once union contracts are settled, it does not necessarily mean the Legislature will impose a one-year contract on workers.

"We're in negotiations. We can't say it's a wage freeze. We can take a risk by not budgeting for raises, and that's what we did," he said.

Mr. Forsythe said he did not think lawmakers cut spending deeply enough, especially since about $4 million in federal stimulus package funding this year and next will dry up in 2011.

Legislators ahead of Tuesday's vote reversed Monday's decision to eliminate a Sheriff's Department road patrol deputy position. Legislature Chairman Gregory M. Paquin, D-Massena, the deciding vote in reinstating the deputy, had voted Monday to eliminate the position.

"I wanted to make sure that having the position would not affect the true value tax rate, and it did not," Mr. Paquin said.

The position was restored by a 7-6 vote. Mr. Girard and Laura J. Perry, D-Hopkinton, were absent from the session.

Lawmakers also undid last week's vote to cut their own pay for a year. Legislator Tedra L. Cobb, D-Canton, was opposed. Legislators' salaries would have been lowered from $9,000 to $8,100 a year, the vice chairman's from $11,000 to $8,100 and the chairman's from $14,000 to $12,000.

"Nobody understands what the commitment to be here involves," said Legislator Sallie A. Brothers, D-Norfolk. "We spend a lot of time learning about the issues and doing research."