Monticello, NY – Building upon the vastly improved economy and bright future of the region, Sullivan County Manager Joshua Potosek today presented a 2019 Tentative Sullivan County Budget to the Legislature that promises to reduce property owners’ County tax bills.
“As proposed by my office, the 2019 Tentative Sullivan County Budget invests in what’s important to our residents: transportation, access to government, economic development, community beautification, and broadband connectivity,” Potosek says. “At the same time, however, it does not burden taxpayers with further costs. In fact, it reduces them.”
The $235,196,663 budget, as currently proposed, stays under the state-mandated property tax increase cap, and thanks to a 4.5% increase in the County’s total taxable assessed value, the average property taxpayer will see the County portion of their tax bill decrease by 1.6%, or approximately $19 per $100,000 of assessed value.
It additionally proposes a $1.9 million decrease in the Solid Waste Access Fee, dropping the commercial rate from $300 to $200 per year and the residential rate from $120 to $80 per year.
Full details of the budget are available at www.sullivanny.us (click on “County Manager’s Office” in the dropdown “Find a Department” menu, then click on “Budget” in the left margin).
Highlights include:
- $8.8 million for road and bridgework throughout the County, in addition to an already-approved $10 million bond that’s replacing five aging bridges
- An additional $100,000 to maintain the Sullivan County Land Bank’s incredibly successful pace in acquiring and rehabbing/demolishing eyesore structures
- $200,000 for local towns and villages to demolish unsafe structures via our RUSt Program
- $200,000 to undertake an environmental analysis of potential shovel-ready sites along Old Route 17 in the towns of Liberty and Thompson
- $200,000 for a broadband pilot project that will bring high-speed Internet access to underserved areas of the Village of Monticello and Town of Thompson – if successful, this venture can be replicated Countywide, utilizing existing County communications towers
- $150,000 for new Public Transportation routes, set to debut this April
- $50,000 additional for the Legislature’s Discretionary Funds Program, expanding the County’s assistance to deserving nonprofits and community groups
- $40,000 to update historical signage Countywide
- Adding a clerk in the Department of Motor Vehicles Office to reduce wait times
- $15,000 more for the Sullivan County Youth Bureau to expand its reach and assistance to youth programs Countywide
- Funding to increase the minimum wage for all County employees to $15 an hour, beyond the state mandate, in order to attract and retain qualified personnel in a competitive market
The budget also provides the necessary funds to operate two jails for 6-9 months while personnel, inmates and equipment are gradually transferred from the old jail to the new facility.
This proposal takes into account costs that are out of the County’s control, including a projected 7.5% hike in health insurance premiums and a $2 million increase in foster care expenses.
Legislators now have until December 13 to review, discuss and adopt the budget. Public hearings on the budget proposal will be held on December 11 at 5:30 p.m. and December 13 at 9:30 a.m. in the Hearing Room of the Sullivan County Government Center in Monticello.