Budget decisions

At the time of this writing, the 2011 county budget was days away from adoption. A preliminary version was adopted by the Legislature’s Budget and Finance Committee on Nov. 23, a public hearing was held on Dec. 2, and on Dec. 7 the full Legislature made the final decisions resulting in the 2011 adopted budget. Following the adoption, the budget will then go to the county executive, who can veto any lines, for which a veto override legislative session is scheduled for Dec. 16.

There are many issues involved in this year’s budget, including many deep cuts to contracted agencies as rising state mandates left little discretionary spending. After two years of tax hikes, the Republican-controlled Legislature and Republican county executive are both determined to produce a budget that holds the line on spending (note that decreases in tax assessments may increase or decrease the tax rate on some property owners). This commitment to a zero percent tax levy, while admirable, means that more county services and jobs will be lost this year than in any time in recent memory.

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District residents have been e-mailing, telephoning and writing me (about three per day) since early November to communicate their priorities. I am hearing from supporters of 4-H, the watershed, environment/energy and agriculture programs of Cornell Cooperative Extension, soil and water conservation, fire investigation board, the Arts Council, as well as those asking for cuts in jail housing-out costs and road maintenance crews.

The Budget Committee added back some money for 4-H and GIS-mapping, but too little for the CCE’s environment program. Soil and water money was restored, as was the Fire Investigation Board, but at the expense of a vacant fire coordinator position.

Looking forward, I am most concerned with valuable programs and services being cut without existing societal infrastructure to absorb the performed work, including the CCE’s agriculture and Conservation Advisory Council outreaches. Also disconcerting to me are slated cuts to mental health outpatient clinics and homeless shelters, which will certainly result in increased public safety costs at the expense of increased human suffering.

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I am advocating an approach that minimizes suffering and maximizes societal impact by maintaining privatized contracted services wherever possible, but does so via additional government layoffs. Due to insurance and pension costs, the loss of a typical county employee will garner $100,000 to $125,000 in savings, a sum that nonprofits routinely stretch far. I argue that county departments can absorb the loss of an employee better than a community adjusts to the loss of an already effective privatized program for which we have come to rely.

Other shrinking government considerations before us include the possible consolidation of nine departments into four, which would scale back the county’s role in consumer protection, reduce senior outreach and decrease delinquent rehabilitative services. The Human Rights Department would also be defunded.

Also being discussed is replacing Family Court-assigned counsel with an enlarged Public Defender’s Office.

How county government looks and operates in 2011 will largely be determined this week. Stay tuned.

Michael Kelsey represents Amenia, Washington, Stanford, Pleasant Valley and Millbrook in the Dutchess County Legislature. Write him at KelseyESQ@yahoo.com.