submitted by Rich Crist
The Rensselaer County Legislature recorded a savings of $194,000 in 2015, thanks to various efficiencies and cost-saving measures employed during the year, Chair of the Legislature Stan Brownell announced today.
[private]The savings come at a time when the overall cost for operating the legislative offices is comparable to costs from over two decades ago. Along with the reduced costs for operating the Legislature, a recent comprehensive rebid of the County’s insurance policy brought costs for insurance lower than what the County paid in the early 1990s.
“The savings in 2015 show we are continuing our commitment to doing more with less and generating a savings to help protect taxpayers and needed County services,” said Brownell.
“We are proud to have effectively managed the legislative budget, and kept costs under budget, just as we are proud to have supported five consecutive county budgets that remain under the property tax cap,” said Vice Chair for Finance Phil Danaher.
Along with supporting five consecutive budgets that remained under the state tax cap, the county has maintained a strong bond rating and received a number of positive financial reviews.
The savings came about largely from a reduction in personnel, benefits, delays on filling vacancies and fewer purchases during 2015. The Legislature operates today with several fewer personnel than in the early 1990s.
A switch by the Legislature in recent years to electronic tablets also helped reduce costs for paper, personnel and other supplies in legislative offices.
“We have utilized new technology to maintain services while also reducing expenses. Those moves have paid off in recent years, and we are looking to employ more efficiencies to control spending in the County,” said Vice Chair of the Legislature Alex Shannon.
The savings is expected to be assigned to reserve funds administered by the Legislature, including a Taxpayer Protection Fund established by the Legislature to help protect taxpayers and safeguard needed County services.
“We understand the challenges faced by taxpayers during this difficult economy. We are working to make every dollar count, and be more careful when making purchases,” said Majority Leader Ken Herrington.
The Taxpayer Protection Fund has been employed by the Legislature in past years to reduce the amount of a tax increase during the 2013 budget and 2012 budget.[/private]