During a special meeting on December 1, the Rensselaer County Legislature approved the 2016 Budget. Chair of the Legislature Stan Brownell announced that this is the fifth consecutive year the County Budget has remained under the state tax cap.
[private]The adopted budget also protects needed County services, including services for seniors, veterans and youths, and will also safeguard the positive fiscal standings and bond ratings earned by the County in recent years. The budget also maintains a modest fund balance to help protect services in the coming months.
“We are proud to once again adopt a budget that protects taxpayers and needed services, and helps maintain the solid fiscal position earned by the County for accurate budgeting and responsible management,” said Brownell.
“This is a fiscally responsible budget that stays under the state tax cap despite some challenging economic conditions. The 2016 budget is a solid plan that will help encourage investment and new opportunity in the County,” said Vice Chair for Finance Phil Danaher.
Legislators adopted the 2016 budget by a 13-5 vote.
The budget was reviewed at two public hearings and was presented by County Executive Kathleen Jimino in October. During her presentation, she noted the difficulties caused by unfunded mandates on the County budget.
The budget as introduced by Jimino includes a minimal 1.88 percent tax increase, which falls below the state tax cap. Rensselaer County is one of a select number of counties across the state who have kept taxes under the state tax cap each of the past five years since the tax cap was implemented.
Minimal changes were made by legislators to the budget, with one change being an addition of funds for road repair and improvement. Majority Leader Ken Herrington said, “Road repair, improvement and maintenance are some of the most important services provided by the County. We would like to see more county roads improved and repaired in 2016.” The Legislature also helped by keeping costs in legislative departments comparable to levels of two decades ago. A recent re-bid of the County insurance policy kept County insurance costs lower than what was paid by the county two decades ago.
“The Legislature works to make every dollar count, and we are proud to be able to play a role in reducing costs and help protect services and stabilize taxes,” said Vice Chair of the Legislature Alex Shannon.
Rensselaer County Executive Kathleen M. Jimino said, “For the fifth straight year we have created a County budget that will comply with the NYS Tax Cap Law even though State mandates consume 90 cents of every local tax dollar we raise. I want to thank the Legislature for their input and ultimate support of this spending plan that supports the local programs and services our residents rely upon that include those for our seniors and veterans as well as to pave, plow and patrol our streets.”[/private]