BATH – The proposed Steuben County 2020 budget carries the burden of the state’s criminal justice system reforms, while sales tax revenues and cuts to local spending will keep the increase in next year’s tax levy to slightly more 1 percent. The county’s 2020 spending plan of $197 million, presented by county Manager Jack Wheeler Thursday during a special workshop meeting of the county Legislature, calls for local costs to be offset in large part through a $2 million increase in projected sales tax revenues, some county reserves and interest, and cuts to local services. The public hearing and adoption of next year’s spending plan is slated for 11:30 a.m. Nov. 25 If adopted by legislators on Nov. 25, the tax levy will increase slightly to almost $50.5 million, while the average tax rate will drop $0.18, down to $8.07 per $1,000, a 2 percent decrease. The levy increase of almost $500,000 is driven by state-mandated, unfunded reforms to the criminal justice system while promised revenues from the state remain in flux, according to Wheeler. "This was an experience in figuring out changing numbers on an almost weekly basis," Wheeler said. Mandated local costs due to the state’s Criminal Justice Reform Act and the new centralized arraignment system mean costs in county district attorney’s office will be up 23 percent next year, rising by $404,000. The reforms will boost costs at the jail by almost $1 million, a 13 percent hike. The new state mandates for criminal reform add to the 40-plus mandates the state already shifts onto county property owners, who bear the cost of the growth of state programs. In 2020, the county will lose $1 million in PaveNY funds -- leaving the county Public Works Department $5 million for road construction, maintenance and repair. The Steuben's road system is a leader in the state, and an important element in the county's economic development efforts, legislators noted Thursday. New York continues to rely on county taxpayers to foot a significant portion of the state’s budget. According to a Pew report, the state draws almost 16 percent of its revenues from local sources, such as property taxes, compared to other states that use roughly 2.5 percent of revenue from local sources.
