County adopts $221.3m budget
CANTON — St. Lawrence County lawmakers on Tuesday adopted a $221.3 million budget for 2010 that many legislators characterized as a compromise that is far from perfect.
Two residents objected to the spending plan at a public hearing before the Legislature's 11-4 vote to adopt it. Both criticized lawmakers for failing to significantly cut spending and taxes in tough financial times.
"We're almost a dying county. New York is almost a dying state. The way we are headed is in no way conducive to doing business in this county," said Elizabeth M. Kaneb, Massena, administrator of Highland Nursing Home.
Ms. Kaneb said she could not afford to give her nursing home workers a raise this year, and is not in a position to pay completely for their health benefits.
"My taxes pay for the county to do those things when I'm not able to do the same for my people," she said.
Legislators did not budget for 2009 worker raises to be paid retroactively once contracts with three unions are settled, but some lawmakers have said they favor spending $1.2 million cut from the original 2010 spending plan to pay for wage increases.
Patrick J. Green, Lisbon, said county government should learn to survive on less, as many residents have.
"We all have to cut back completely," he said. "You all say let's not let anybody slip through the cracks, but when the boards are broke, there's no sense worrying about the cracks."
The $221,282,996 budget preserves a tax rate of $8.14 per $1,000 of true value, raises the tax levy by $2.8 million, or 7.04 percent, to $42,584,138, and spends nothing from fund balance.
"I think this budget lacks a lot. We've taken a lot of risks. We have no catastrophic insurance, no raises for our employees, and we cut Highway too much. If Department of Social Services isn't bare-bones, it's beyond bare-bones," said Legislator Frederick S. Morrill, D-DeKalb Junction. "I think it's a bad compromise, but it's a compromise."
Legislators Donald A. Peck, R-Gouverneur, David W. Forsythe, R-Lisbon, Vernon D. "Sam" Burns, D-Ogdensburg, and Thomas R. Grow, R-Massena, voted against it.
"I don't think we did as much as we needed to do. Sales tax is going to be down by $2 million this year, our health care bill was $500,000 last week, we cut the Highway budget, which is our infrastructure, and we still have contracts unsettled," Mr. Forsythe said. "If my business had a revenue projection like this, there'd be a closed sign on the door."
