Chairman’s Corner -- 2021 County Budget
More than 25 meetings since mid-summer have yielded a 2021 Columbia County budget that navigated a rocky fiscal picture heavily influenced by the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2021 county budget calls for a total 2021 tax levy increase of $728,098, an increase of 1.56 percent, under the allowable state tax cap of two percent for 2021. The total 2021 tax levy is $47.4 Million. Combined with the county’s taxable property increase of $249 Million, the average county tax rate will in fact decrease by 1.5 percent, equaling a savings of $21.63 on an average home value of $254,600.
The 2021 total budget amount is $155,531,000, a decrease of $4 Million from 2020.
Other budget items include a $2.3 Million decrease in salaries, with no raises in 2021 and a hiring freeze of $1.7 Million. The union agreement to not take raises includes the proviso that this would be revisited mid-2021 to determine if circumstances call for their restoration. That would be reflected in the return to a more stable revenue stream, among other factors.
Further, the budget calls for a total decrease of $5 Million in general fund revenues: $1.1 Million in sales tax, $3.5 Million in state aid, and a road fund decrease of $528,000 because of no state snow plowing contract.
“A big part of what has helped get us through our cash flow difficulties to this point was the cash in the bank we had built up as a reserve,” county Treasurer PJ Keeler pointed out.
“This is a very conservative budget that has been a real challenge in the days of COVID-19. A lot of people did a lot of work to get us where we are. It has been a real bipartisan effort. I would like to thank county department heads, committee chairs, and the unions for helping,” said county Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell, who also serves as Budget Officer.
Chairman Murell expressed his thanks to Treasurer PJ Keeler, Controller Ron Caponera, Supervisor/Deputy Chairman Ron Knott, Supervisor/Deputy Chairman and Finance Chairman James Guzzi, Supervisor Sarah Sterling, Supervisor Art Bassin, Supervisor Rick Scalera, and county Human Resources Director Michaele Williams-Riordon for their assistance.
The 2021 county budget has, for all intents and purposes, been in the works since the early days of the pandemic, when county leadership immediately grasped the enormous impact the coronavirus could – and ultimately did -- have on county finances. It continues to be a work-in-progress, stressed county Controller Ron Caponera.
“The biggest challenge in the Treasurer’s Office is accounts receivable, and how that affects cash flow going forward. A large portion of our tax levy goes for state-mandated services, of which the state is currently withholding (since March) their portion of reimbursement to the county to the tune of $7.7 Million. Yet we continue to provide the services,” said Treasurer Keeler.
“We expect the financial implications of the pandemic to not only affect the 2021 budget, but reach beyond that as well. As a result, we will continue to work with our department heads and employees to look for reductions in expenditures as well as new revenue streams to reduce the taxpayer burden as we move forward,” added Treasurer Keeler.
Another contributing factor to the development of the 2021 budget has been the county’s Central Business Office (CBO), established several years ago. The CBO has streamlined and created efficiencies within county departments and services, thus saving taxpayer dollars. At the same time, county departments are learning to change their operating culture in regards to how they deliver needed services to county residents.
Looking ahead, said Controller Caponera, “We will continually re-evaluate the fiscal picture – there are so many unknown variables in the days of COVID-19. Things could develop more favorably, or less so. You have to be responsive and adjust going forward. At the moment, however, the 2021 budget is a reasonable, solid document.”
The 2021 county budget calls for a total 2021 tax levy increase of $728,098, an increase of 1.56 percent, under the allowable state tax cap of two percent for 2021. The total 2021 tax levy is $47.4 Million. Combined with the county’s taxable property increase of $249 Million, the average county tax rate will in fact decrease by 1.5 percent, equaling a savings of $21.63 on an average home value of $254,600.
The 2021 total budget amount is $155,531,000, a decrease of $4 Million from 2020.
Other budget items include a $2.3 Million decrease in salaries, with no raises in 2021 and a hiring freeze of $1.7 Million. The union agreement to not take raises includes the proviso that this would be revisited mid-2021 to determine if circumstances call for their restoration. That would be reflected in the return to a more stable revenue stream, among other factors.
Further, the budget calls for a total decrease of $5 Million in general fund revenues: $1.1 Million in sales tax, $3.5 Million in state aid, and a road fund decrease of $528,000 because of no state snow plowing contract.
“A big part of what has helped get us through our cash flow difficulties to this point was the cash in the bank we had built up as a reserve,” county Treasurer PJ Keeler pointed out.
“This is a very conservative budget that has been a real challenge in the days of COVID-19. A lot of people did a lot of work to get us where we are. It has been a real bipartisan effort. I would like to thank county department heads, committee chairs, and the unions for helping,” said county Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell, who also serves as Budget Officer.
Chairman Murell expressed his thanks to Treasurer PJ Keeler, Controller Ron Caponera, Supervisor/Deputy Chairman Ron Knott, Supervisor/Deputy Chairman and Finance Chairman James Guzzi, Supervisor Sarah Sterling, Supervisor Art Bassin, Supervisor Rick Scalera, and county Human Resources Director Michaele Williams-Riordon for their assistance.
The 2021 county budget has, for all intents and purposes, been in the works since the early days of the pandemic, when county leadership immediately grasped the enormous impact the coronavirus could – and ultimately did -- have on county finances. It continues to be a work-in-progress, stressed county Controller Ron Caponera.
“The biggest challenge in the Treasurer’s Office is accounts receivable, and how that affects cash flow going forward. A large portion of our tax levy goes for state-mandated services, of which the state is currently withholding (since March) their portion of reimbursement to the county to the tune of $7.7 Million. Yet we continue to provide the services,” said Treasurer Keeler.
“We expect the financial implications of the pandemic to not only affect the 2021 budget, but reach beyond that as well. As a result, we will continue to work with our department heads and employees to look for reductions in expenditures as well as new revenue streams to reduce the taxpayer burden as we move forward,” added Treasurer Keeler.
Another contributing factor to the development of the 2021 budget has been the county’s Central Business Office (CBO), established several years ago. The CBO has streamlined and created efficiencies within county departments and services, thus saving taxpayer dollars. At the same time, county departments are learning to change their operating culture in regards to how they deliver needed services to county residents.
Looking ahead, said Controller Caponera, “We will continually re-evaluate the fiscal picture – there are so many unknown variables in the days of COVID-19. Things could develop more favorably, or less so. You have to be responsive and adjust going forward. At the moment, however, the 2021 budget is a reasonable, solid document.”