Clinton County expected to approve budget tonight

Joe LoTemplio, The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
·2 min read

Dec. 13—PLATTSBURGH — The 2024 budget for Clinton County is expected to be approved without fanfare tonight.

"I believe this is another good spending plan for Clinton County taxpayers," County Administrator and Budget Officer Michael Zurlo said.

"It allows the county to provide necessary services and does so in a manner that does not burden county taxpayers."

Legislators will vote on the $198.5 million spending plan at tonight's meeting in the Legislative Chambers, which begins at 5:15 p.m.

At a budget public hearing last week, only representatives from the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System showed up. They asked for a slight increase in funding, but it was denied by the legislature.

"I believe that the fact that very few people showed up for the public hearing is a reflection of the quality of this budget," Zurlo said.

TAX LEVY LOWERED

The budget features a tax levy that is expected to decrease by $48,558 for a total of $29,662,193.

"This is the third consecutive year the tax levy has been lowered," Zurlo said.

The county also lowered the tax rate to $4.28 per $1,000 of assessed value. That is $0.62 lower than 2023.

"It's the lowest it has been in recent history," Zurlo said.

This can be attributed to property assessments "going way up."

Legislator Robert Timmons (R-Area 7, Peru) who chairs the county's Finance Committee, said he was pleased the tax rate was dropped because many property owners in the county saw their assessments increase.

"We should have a lower rate if assessments are up, and I am glad we were able to do that," he said.

The budget is also under the state mandated tax cap by almost $1 million. This is largely due to increased sales tax projections, Zurlo said.

"Our sales tax has been doing well for several years now," Timmons said.

The proposed budget also includes a contribution of $542,224 from the unreserved fund balance to offset these higher than initially estimated health insurance and retirement rates.

There are also no major cuts proposed in the budget.

"This budget is a credit to the fiscal discipline followed by this legislature," Zurlo said.

"Clinton County remains a great place to live, recreate and raise a family."

E-mail: jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com

Twitter: @jlotemplio