Legislators set additional budget workshop

Nov 05, 2013 at 09:19 pm by Observer-Review


Legislators set additional budget workshop   ADVERTISEMENT

Legislators set additional budget workshop

YATES COUNTY—The Yates County Legislature scheduled another workshop for the 2014 tentative budget for Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. in the legislative chambers, before their regularly scheduled legislative session at 6 p.m. This is after two days of budget workshops held Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 28 and 29, where the legislature managed to reduce the tax levy increase from an initial 10.9 percent to 7.25 percent.
The largest cut came out of education during this time, reducing the education of handicapped children by $200,000, with an additional $50,000 cut from the early intervention service in public health. There was also a $95,000 reduction in money initially meant for the purchase of a tractor and mower.
Many other areas of discussion, such as changing of sheriff’s scheduling, district attorney staff and reducing the purchase of two sheriff patrol cars to one did not amount to any changes in their budgets. Legislator Donna Alexander noted the different efficiencies the sheriff had implemented during the course of the year in order to save the county money.
After the legislature had failed to approve cutting the funding for the Arc of Yates, Alexander motioned to only cut their funding by 10 percent, which was approved.
The legislature had previously discussed a target range of a 5 to 7 percent tax levy increase for 2013 earlier in the year, but have yet to get the increase within that range. The additional budget workshop will give the legislators another chance to find additional areas to trim to meet their target goal. The legislature must then approve a preliminary budget to be brought before a public hearing. The final budget must be approved by Dec. 20.

 

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