Are 'shared services' the solution to budget woes?

NORTH EAST — The  North East Town Board briefly discussed a county-level letter at its workshop meeting held on Thursday, Nov. 5. Essentially, when the county recently expressed its desire to explore the concept of “shared servicesâ€� with municipalities it raised a red flag to members of the Dutchess County Supervisors & Mayors Association (DCSMA). The organization then sent its own response back to the county Legislature (as well as copies to local municipalities), stating it had already addressed the matter with Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus.

“It should come of no surprise to any member of the Dutchess County Legislature that the members of the Dutchess County Supervisors and Mayors Association are against any proposal to pass the cost of revenue needed to support county departments down to the municipal budget and taxpayer,� the letter stated. “The concept of ‘shared services’ cannot be assigned to county services simply to justify the passing down of those costs.�

The group cited an example of county executives, in which the county’s Board of Elections grew from a $1 million operation in 2005 to a $4 million operation today, as proof that more controls must be put in place.

“The members of the DCSMA urge all members of the county Legislature to actively manage the county departments under their control,� the letter stated. “Municipal taxpayers cannot be expected to pay for any part of a county government that has experienced exponential spending growth unchecked.�

The letter emphasized the crux of the matter in the following paragraphs.

“The message from the DCSMA is a simple one; the county Legislature must manage the county’s departments, budget for them according to your own analysis and pay for them through the county’s taxing authority. You should raise, or refuse to raise county taxes through the application of that management,� it stated. “Do not pass the costs of county services down to the municipal taxpayer. The result of doing so will be higher municipal taxes, and higher out-of-pocket costs to taxpayers due to the imposition of county-sanctioned unfunded mandates.�