Revised Putnam Budget Stays within Tax Cap
Neal Rentz Photo
The Putnam County Legislature has revised its 2014 budget plan to meet the state-mandated property tax cap.
The full legislature voted unanimously on Oct. 17 to reduce the proposed property tax levy increase from its previous 1.95 percent to 1.66 percent as originally proposed by County Executive MaryEllen Odell in her original spending plan. The potential tax hike was reduced at the suggestion of Legislator Sam Oliverio Jr. who convinced his colleagues to increase the projected sales tax revenues for next year by about $150,000 over what was initially estimated by the county executive.
Also during the Budget and Finance Committee meting, the legislators rejected a request to fund a new position requested by Sheriff Donald Smith and also declined to provide a 1.5 percent salary hike for commissioners and department heads.
The board would not accept a request from Smith to hire a legal consultant, which would have cost $30,000 next year. County Legislature Chairman Richard Othmer Jr. said if Smith wanted legal advice he could utilize the county district attorney’s office or the county attorney’s office. “This is not appropriate,” Othmer said.
Though he put it out as a suggestion by Othmer, only Oliverio spoke in favor of providing a 1.5 salary increase next year for commissioner and department heads. The legislature agreed with the initial proposal by Odell to not provide the pay hikes for commissioners and department heads, though the legislature did provide some pay hikes for a few non-union employees during the meeting, over the protests of some legislators who said those workers should not have their pay go up next year while the commissioner and departments would have their salaries frozen.
But the legislators did agree to hire a bi-lingual woman prosecutor for the district attorney’s office to work with child ex abuse victims. During a meeting earlier this month, District Attorney Adam Levy lobbied for the creation of the position over the objections of Smith. The new $60,000 position was also not supported by Odell in her proposed budget.
The legislature will have its last chance to make changes to next year’s budget when it passes its final version of the ledger on Oct. 30.
