NORWICH – It’s the beginning of another budget season as Chenango County lawmakers began scrutinizing governmental departments this month, hoping to carve out any possible fat that can make up for a 12 percent shortfall in sales tax collections and costly state cuts to mandated programs.
Unfortunately, the fat isn’t going to be there this year, at least not in the Department of Social Services. DSS was one of the first budgets the Finance Committee tackled last week and the county’s largest local share cost, at $11 million.
Despite approximately $1.3 in federal stimulus for Medicaid assistance that will be credited toward Chenango County by year’s end, state program cuts will leave DSS’ combined programs with $100,000 less for 2010.
“They give it and then they take it away,” said Chenango County Deputy Treasurer Ardean Young.
DSS administration salaries and benefits are $5.32 million, including newly established employee union raises at 4.4 and 4.5 percent. Offset with state and federal revenues that are down by 10.8 percent, taxpayers could be asked to afford $800,000 in a budget that previously contributed surplus to help hold the levy down. Finance Committee Vice Chairman Dennis Brown, D-Pharsalia, pointed out that there was nearly half a million left over in the administration budget last year.
“This department used to produce money for the county. It has gone to a program that now costs us in property taxes,” he said.
DSS Commissioner Bette Osborne said is has been “standard operating procedure” for counties to structure administration billing in order to pull in extra reimbursements. Personnel salaries, supplies and materials costs have offered the flexibility necessary in order to help offset the levy, she said.
“It was the way we claimed and they way the state told us to claim. ... Now the state found someone who figured out what every county did. We are just going to have to learn how to work within the rules that they give us next,” she said.
State and federally-aided contractual revenues to DSS are also down, by 18.2 percent. Chenango County Commissioner Bette Osborne said the take away leaves three local programs in limbo: parenting classes, youth counseling for Catholic Charities and Sheriff’s Camp meals.
