Picente proposes $35M increase in 2023 budget: What Oneida County residents need to know
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr.’s 2023 budget proposal comes with a roughly $35 million increase, with no increase in the property tax levy.
Picente proposed a $493.8 million budget for the county, $35 million more than Oneida County’s current budget of $458.4 million.
The county executive gave his budget presentation Wednesday morning in the Oneida County Board of Legislators Chambers in the Oneida County Office Building.
“In the years before, we were totally at the whim of outside forces,” Picente said. “I have always adhered to my fiscally conservative principles when constructing these budgets.”
“I don’t borrow more than we can afford. I don’t pass on undue tax burdens to our residents and I never mortgage our future for my own political gain. Together, we have created a stable and sustainable structure that has withstood tests and enabled significant investments.”
Picente said the increase in his proposed budget is covered by an increase in various revenues coming into the county.
Sales tax (budgeted for $131 million) and Oneida Indian Nation revenue ($23.85 million) have increased and the county will receive a plethora of reimbursements from the state and federal government, Picente said.
This is the tenth year in a row the levy has not been raised, Picente said.
Here are the five biggest takeaways from Picente’s budget proposal.
Equalization rates
Though Picente highly touted a decade of no changes to the county’s property tax levy, that does not mean various municipalities will not see an increase or decrease in their county tax rates.
The possible changes are due to the equalization rates determined by the New York State Office of Real Property Services.
County taxes are apportioned among the cities and towns within the county on the basis of the proportion of the total full valuation of taxable real property within each municipality.
The equalization rates will only show an average increase or decrease of around a dollar or less, according to figures from the county executive’s office.
“That’s always the rub of our budget,” Picente said of equalization rates. “We’re not seeking more taxes from our residents. It’s spread out.”
Where does the money come from?
The money allotted in Picente’s proposal comes from five major sources and a combination of other sources.
Sales tax, slotted for $131,938,000 is the largest proposed revenue source, covering 26.72% of proposed revenue.
Department income, at $94,273,480, comes in at 19.09% and state aid, at $91,811,913 comes in at 18.59%.
Real property tax at 13.39% and federal aid, at 10.11%, round out the top five proposed revenue sources.
All other funding sources come in at 12.10%.
The county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding is not included in the proposed 2023 operating budget, but is included in two capital projects.
“Revenues are up,” Picente said.
Where does the money go?
Picente’s 2023 budget proposal covers worker and staffer pay and benefits and invests in community assets and agencies in the region.
Close to half of the budget — 41.76%, or $206,253,976 — goes to human services. Public safety and general government both take up 15.29% percent of the proposed budget.
Education, at 5.41% and economic development,1.4%, round out the bottom of the proposed appropriations.
Some of the investments include:
$2 million for mental health and suicide prevention for veterans
$1.1 million for the Oneida County Opioid Task Force
$885,000 for Cornell Cooperative Extension
$800,000 for local libraries
$400,000 for Mohawk Valley EDGE
$300,000 for the Utica Zoo
$200,000 for local humane societies
“We continue to invest in our community assets and the agencies that strengthen our region,” Picente said.
What's in Anthony Picente's proposed capital plan
Picente’s proposed capital budget stands at $17 million, while retiring $19 million in debt.
Oneida County is only at 17% of its constitutional debt limit, Picente said.
“I continue to borrow only for what we need and what will move this county forward, while not passing on unsustainable debt to our children and grandchildren,” Picente said.
Two of the major capital projects are $5 million for broadband expansion in the county and $5 million for the county’s Main Street Program.
Both projects include some of the $22 million the county was initially given in ARPA money and both also were introduced at Picente’s state of the county address earlier this year.
Initial reactions
The no increase in property tax levy in the proposed 2023 budget was a hit across the political aisle.
“The zero percent is good,” said Legislator Timothy Julian, D-19.
Julian also said the impact of the proposal is good for taxpayers that are getting pushed to the brink in other areas of their lives.
The Oneida County Board of Legislators minority leaders also was supportive of the proposed capital plan.
Board Majority Leader George Joseph, R-10, was in support of the proposed capital plan. He said this year’s budget was predicated and tempered on past years' budgets.
“I think everyone should be happy,” Joseph said about the proposed capital plan. “We set the tenor and tone of pay as you go.”
A public hearing on the proposed budget is set for 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 12 in the Oneida County Board of Legislators Chambers in the Oneida County Office Building. The hearing will take place just prior to the board’s regularly scheduled meeting.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: 2023 Oneida County budget unpacked: What residents need to know