Odell Defends Administration, Presents Budget Under Tax Cap
During her budget address Thursday night, County Executive MaryEllen Odell came out on the offensive to defend the actions of her administration while presenting a proposed budget that once again fell under the ever shrinking tax cap.
For the fifth year in a row, the county will stay within the mandated New York State tax cap, with the operating costs totaling $153.1 million. That equals a net increase of 1.7 percent over the 2016 budget or a 1.1 percent spending increase. An average home assessed at $260,000 would pay an increase of ten dollars or an average of $1,018 in overall property taxes allotted to the county.
Some of the minutia within the budget included a $1.2 million bump in retiree and employee health insurance, $1 million more due to step longevity increases and pending contract negotiations, and actually a $730,000 decrease in the state pension expense. Odell said this year would be the county’s final payoff to go toward pension debt, which is pegged for $2.4 million.
The general fund money pulled will be $3.6 million, which is $500,000 less than a year ago. Odell emphasized, as she has done in her past addresses, the state mandates the county needs to cover represents 70 percent of the budget.
When addressing the health insurance for workers–a controversial point last year–Odell said the county continues to seek alternatives like the Medi-gap program to relieve those health costs. The optional, voluntary plan was presented to the county Legislature earlier this year and is a discussion that would continue over the next 6-8 weeks, Odell said, hoping it’s a “win-win” for the county and retirees.
Odell attempted to counter “misleading opinions” that have been lobbed at her administration over the last couple of years. Odell argued county bonding and spending have been responsible, instead of “out of control.”
Odell said the total long-term debt for the county has decreased 15 percent from $88.3 million in 2007 to $76.5 million in 2016. During her time in office, the decrease has been 13 percent, Odell noted. Moody’s Investor Services, which determines the county’s bond rating, cited the county’s low debt burden as credit strength in the 2016 report and for the fifth year in a row, gave the county an Aa2 rating. The county’s independent auditors said at an Aug. 2016 committee meeting the county’s bonding was “responsible.”
Odell also said Putnam ranked second lowest in expenditures per capita, according to the New York State Comptroller’s report from 2014. The budget has increased $3 million over the last three fiscal years, Odell added.
Odell also defended the money poured into Tilly Foster Farm to the tune of $2.4 million. Odell said from 2012-2014, the county spent more than a million dollars “putting band aids on the property” without fixing it completely. With the current bond, a significant portion–more than a million–was used to become code compliant and establish necessary utilities
to enable use of the facility. The rest went toward hard assets that can be used by BOCES for the culinary institute and hopefully more, Odell said.
“We’re committed to ensure that Tilly Foster remains successful to the people of Putnam County for educational and recreational opportunities.” Odell said.
Odell also defended the controversial Butterfield lease for the new senior center in Cold Spring. She said the county is paying well below market rate for the space leased and the county is paying half the property taxes for the Lahey Pavilion, and not the entire campus. With a growing population of elders on the west side, Odell said the bigger space is imperative.
Legislator Dini LoBue, who has made many of the attack points Odell countered, was left unconvinced. She said in an email Odell failed to discuss economic development in a year dedicated to it and didn’t bring forth future plans for the county.
“Certainly with the need to maintain the tax cap, you would think that there would be efforts to also maintain fiscally prudent spending caps on expenditures,” LoBue said. “Instead, we have County Executive Odell raiding the reserves to hold the tax cap line. One must question the fiscal policy that relies on spending and more spending.”
Also during the address, Odell announced the county golf course would undergo $100,000 in renovations paid for by revenue generated by the golf course. She also spoke about the Chapter 31 program, in which $2.7 million has been return to the county tax rolls and jail board-ins that the sheriff’s office runs to bring in revenue.
Odell said the county would go forward with many grant applications in hopes of getting money that doesn’t affect local taxes often.
Now for the next month, county legislators will give a further look at the budget with committee meetings many nights to dissect the spending. The public hearing on the budget is Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Old County Courthouse and the adoption would be the next night again at 7 p.m.
