Yates approves 6.9 percent tax levy increase

YATES COUNTY—The Yates County Legislature adopted their tentative 2014 budget after holding a budget workshop prior to the regular legislative meeting Tuesday, Nov. 12. The total budget comes in at $41,956,875, which includes a 6.9 percent tax levy increase. The tentative budget was adopted with Legislator Mark Morris being the only vote against.
Going into the workshop, the 2014 budget had a tax levy increase of 7.25 percent. The legislature cut $61,178 during the workshop session, which included removing $45,000 in a revenue anticipation note in the fiber optic plan and $25,923 with the lay-off of a cook position in the jail. There were also two additions to the budget, which included an increase of $11,477 for more part-time hours for the jail cook and $6,328 for an increase to 40 hours per week for the legislature clerk.
Prior to adoption, Morris attempted to create an additional $300,000 reduction in an “unassigned reduction item. County Treasurer Winona Flynn said reductions had to follow a budget line and could not include a $300,000 cut without specifying where it would come from. County Administrator Sarah Purdy said the only way the motion could be completed is if it were taken out of the contingency fund for emergency occurrences. County Chairman Taylor Fitch said he would not accept a motion that did not include a specific line item, and the reduction “would not be practical at this point.”
Morris then amended his motion to remove the $300,000 from the county’s contingency fund.
“The problem is you have got to get the tax down relatively quickly or nobody will have time  to act to reduce costs,” Morris said. Morris was the only vote in support of his motion.
Legislator Leslie Church said at the current point in the budget process, to find any additional cuts the legislature would need to hear from the public a list of what services they would want to see eliminated. She said unless the legislature seriously began to look at outside agencies and reducing costs in services to the community, the legislature will be unable to find any way to trim any more from the budget. She said if that is what the public really wants, they should come to the legislative meetings with a list of what county services they are willing to go without.
After adopting the tentative budget, the legislature scheduled a public hearing on the 2014 budget for Monday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. Fitch said if any legislators came up with ideas for additional cuts, they can be brought up at the public hearing.