Steuben County's proposed 2024 spending plan has arrived. Here are the key takeaways
Property owners in Steuben County will see taxes drop on average 55 cents per $1,000 assessed value in 2024 if the county legislature adopts a proposed $246 million spending plan.
The Steuben County Legislature will vote on the proposed budget at 11:30 a.m. Monday following a public hearing.
Steuben County Manager Jack Wheeler said under the proposed 2024 budget the average tax rate would decrease from $7.35 to $6.80 per $1,000 full assessed value.
The spending plan includes a tentative tax levy of $52.8 million, a 1% increase compared to the tax levy of $52.3 million in 2023.
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Wheeler, who also serves as Steuben County budget officer, said the decline in the average tax rate marks the 11th straight year the rate has dropped for Steuben property owners while state mandates continue to increase Steuben’s overall costs.
Recently, Wheeler told legislators, the increase in county spending is largely due to spikes in the cost of health insurance, retirement and mounting pressure in state mandated services.
The county views health insurance as a valuable incentive during the sluggish employment market in the region while retirement benefits are driven by the state, Wheeler said during his formal presentation to the county legislature.
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State-enforced programs remain the most significant driver to county costs, with just nine state mandates costing taxpayers $51.4 million or 97.4% of the county levy, Wheeler said. Steuben County also pays community colleges $3.7 million annually, pushing taxpayers' costs up to more than 104%.
Wheeler warned legislators the state’s grab of Federal Medical Assistance Percentages funds designated for the counties’ use not only denies Steuben needed funds, but it may also signal deeper issues in the near future.
“With the fiscal outlook New York State is facing, they may continue to pass additional costs to counties to help balance their budget,” Wheeler said. “We must keep a watchful eye towards Albany in 2024 and beyond.”
Wheeler said offsetting the significant increases in programs such as transportation, public safety and assigned counsel are the county’s solid fund balance, interest earnings and a conservative estimate of the county’s overall growth in sales tax revenues in 2024.
One notable — and long anticipated — program expected next year is a supplemental Emergency Medical Services corps to provide back-up medical response in underserved communities at a cost of $1.2 million.
“The 2024 budget provides the services that are mandated upon you all and upon us,” Wheeler recently told legislators. “But also because of the way that you have taken your long-term fiscal strategy you have been able to appropriate revenue to offset these increases and a slight increase in the levy but overall, the 11th straight year of an average tax rate reduction.”
This article originally appeared on The Leader: Steuben County 2024 budget proposal: Here are the key takeaways
