WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE
August 16, 2017 NOT APPROVED
Committee Members Present: C. Jessup, D. Fanton, P. Curran, D. Healy, J. Hopkins, K. LaForge, D. Root, C. Crandall (Absent: T. O’Grady)
Others Present: K. Graves, K. Hollis, R. Hollis, T. Miner, B. Riehle, P. Stockin, M. Washer
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 3:15 p.m. by Ways & Means Committee Chairman Charles Jessup.
Sales Tax Extension Continuing our existing sales tax rate requires Home Rule Legislation which is a process requiring the Board to approve three separate resolutions. On February 27, 2017, the Board approved Resolution No. 31-17 – Requesting State Legislative Representatives to Introduce and Seek Passage of Legislation Authorizing Allegany County to continue the Additional One and One-Half Percent County Sales Tax for Four Years.
On April 10, 2017, the Board approved Resolution No. 66-17 – Approval of a State Legislative Bill Which Authorizes the Extension of Allegany County’s Additional One and One-Half Percent Sales and Compensating Use Taxes until November 30, 2019; Declaring Existence of Necessity and Requesting Passage of Bill by State Legislature.
In Special Session on June 29, 2017, Omnibus Bill No. A40001 passed the Senate and Assembly and was signed into law by the Governor (Chapter 61 of the Laws of New York 2017) authorizing the extension through November 30, 2020.
The final and third step requires passage of the following resolution:
Amending Resolution No. 118-67, as Amended to Maintain the Rate of Allegany County Sales and Use Tax from Three to Four and a Half Percent for the Period Beginning December 1, 2017, and Ending November 30, 2020, and Thereafter Said Rate of Sales and Use Tax to Revert to Three Percent.Based on sales tax revenue receipts of $19,289,652 for 2016, the additional one and one-half percent (1.5%) sales tax resulted in $6.43 million revenue. Clerk of the Board Brenda Rigby Riehle stated they have authorized the extension for three years. Legislator Graves stated he is opposed to this extension. Legislator Healy stated he’d rather see it in the sales tax rather than the property tax, adding we have to make it up someplace. Legislator Graves stated we came up with a $3.5 million surplus last year and if you take that half percent off, you may not have had that surplus. Legislator Graves continued that we have never had to move money from the surplus to balance our budget. To build a surplus we need to be underestimating our revenues and overestimating our expenses. Legislator Fanton stated we used that surplus to get the tax rate down $.24 ($16.29 in 2016 to $16.05 in 2017). Legislator Root added that by using the surplus, we reduced the tax levy over $5,000. This request was approved on a motion made by Legislator Root, seconded by Legislator Curran, and carried. Prepare Resolution
Acceptance of Insurance Check Clerk of the Board Brenda Rigby Riehle requests a resolution accepting a check in the amount of $524.50 from The Main Street America Group representing the cost to repair our 2017 Chevrolet Van #8445 (AC-0010) assigned to the Social Services Department that their insured backed into on August 4, 2017, at approximately 1 p.m. The funds should be appropriated to CS1931.429 (Risk Retention Uninsured Property Loss) with a like sum placed in revenue account CS1930.2680.00 (Insurance Recovery). This request was approved on a motion made by Legislator Healy, seconded by Legislator Root, and carried. Prepare Resolution
Resolution Amending Board Rules
A resolution was requested to amend the Board Rules to abolish the Facilities and Communications Committee, transferring jurisdiction over facilities and space needs to the Public Works Committee, transferring jurisdiction over Information Technology to the Ways and Means Committee, transferring jurisdiction over the County’s public wireless broadband infrastructure to the Planning and Economic Development Committee, and amending the Board Rules to eliminate and renumber certain rules to reflect such changes. Chairman Crandall stated the Facilities and Communications Committee was originally derived from the Court Facilities and the new Jail, and now that they are completed, any new issues that may arise can be put back in line to the original committees of jurisdiction. Committee Chairman Jessup stated lately a lot of issues have come before Facilities & Communications, and moving them back to their original committee of jurisdiction where they belong will eliminate a lot of the indecisiveness. Mrs. Riehle suggested that since we will be amending the Board Rules, perhaps we could list the committees in alpha order. Attorney Miner stated he could, but it will result in making a lot of changes. The request to amend the Board Rules to abolish the Facilities and Communications Committee and transfer jurisdictions was approved on a motion made by Legislator Fanton, seconded by Legislator Root, and carried. Prepare Resolution
Adjournment There being no further business to come before the Committee, the meeting was adjourned at 3:22 p.m. following a motion by Legislator Root, seconded by Legislator Curran, and carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Meghan Washer, Secretary to Clerk of the Board
Allegany County Board of Legislators
