Budget includes 2.05 percent increase

SCHUYLER COUNTY—The Schuyler County Legislature approved additions to the 2014 tentative budget that bring the total tax levy increase to 2.05 percent Wednesday, Oct. 30. The resolutions were acted on during a special meeting of the legislature prior to its morning finance committee meeting.
The approved increases included a $40,000 addition in mental health for personnel services, a $33,265 increase in social services for a contract with sheriff expense and a $10,000 increase in office for the aging for the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) expense. The legislature also approved a $13,301 increase in federal aid and a $6,700 increase in state aid administration revenue in social services. There were no additional changes greater than $10,000 made to the tentative budget during this time.
The 2014 tentative budget was announced to contain a 1.59 percent tax levy increase during last month’s regular meeting of the Schuyler County Legislature, but Chairman Dennis Fagan said it was likely to increase to 2 percent with the needed additions.
Legislator Barbara Halpin said she would normally have voted against these increases to the budget, but ended up voting in support because the legislature would have to go in for another meeting to work on the budget. She said otherwise, she would have wanted to find reductions to match the increases.
The total expense for the 2014 budget now amounts to $42,700,860, while the total tax levy amount is $10,887,348. County Administrator Tim O’Hearn said the county tax rate is $8.358 per $1,000 of assessed value, which is a 0.19 percent decrease from the 2013 tax rate.