CountyTaxLevy Raise Approved

CANTON - The St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators approved a $237 million budget Monday that raises the tax levy 5.5 percent and overrides the state tax cap.

"The tax cap is just an imaginary number without mandate relief," said Legislator Donald A. Peck, R-Gouverneur. "It's something we had to do. I don't think by any measure this is a perfect budget. We have just started our work for next year."

The budget, which calls for a tax levy of $46 million, was approved 11-4. Legislators voting against the budget were Mark H. Akins, R-Lisbon, Kevin D. Acres, R-Madrid, Daniel F. Parker, R-Potsdam, and Gregory M. Paquin, D-Massena.

Mr. Paquin said he understood that legislators were nervous about taking more than $4.2 million from the fund balance but that a majority of constituents wanted the county to stay within the state's 2 percent tax cap.

Mr. Acres said the county erred in taking the money from its fund balance when it should have been thinking about what was to come.

"By using the $4.2 million, we have put off the inevitable, which is that we have to cut," he said. "I think we're going to have to do furloughs and cuts. We need to be innovative and creative about solving our problems."

At a public hearing before the board meeting, only two people spoke about the proposed budget.

Canton Free Library Director Carolyn J. "Lyn" Swafford thanked legislators for restoring what had been a 15 percent cut to the county's 19 libraries.

As it is, Ms. Swafford said she had to cut $18,000 from her own budget and will not replace a staff member who left.

"We'll probably be back next year and it'll probably be tougher then," she said.

Patrick J. Green, Lisbon, told legislators they were too entwined with their own relatives and union affiliations to look out for the taxpayer.

"You're going to take care of your own, no matter what," he said. "Your constituents did not want you to go above the 2 percent tax cap. I think you people know that."

No matter what kind of a budget the county ends up with in the future, legislators need to be more involved from the beginning rather than have department heads explain themselves after a budget team has already reviewed the numbers, said Legislator Joseph R. Lightfoot, R-Ogdensburg,

"I don't think it was beneficial, not to me. We ought to be doing more upfront," he said. "We should be telling them what we want."