Albany County Executive Mike Breslin released a 2010 county budget proposal on Thursday, Oct. 8, that would cut jobs, increase the tax levy by 5.9 percent and begin the downsizing process for the county-run nursing home.
The $11.6 million in spending cutswhich includes 109 layoffs and the elimination of 130 vacant positionsis largely due to lagging revenues and increasing employee pension and health insurance costs, said Breslin.
He added that this is the 15th budget he’s prepared as county executive, and these outside issues have made it problematic.
`This is the most difficult budget I’ve had to face, and there were some very difficult choices,` he said.
The $71.9 million tax levy will represent a tax increase of $19 to $42 per year for the owner of a $150,000 home, depending on the municipality, according to Breslin’s office.
`I don’t like imposing it in these times, but I really don’t know how much further we can cut here without giving up vital services,` Breslin said.
In addition to making cuts, the county would use $6.6 million of reserve funds under the executive budget. The total proposed appropriations for the year would be $571.4 million, an $11.6 million decrease from this year’s levels.
The layoffs would be centered in the nursing home, where 74 employees would be released during the course of the coming year. The other layoffs would be across the county departments, said County Executive Office Spokeswoman Mary Duryea, as would most of the vacant positions.
Included in that figure are 40 employees who took advantage of a buyout program earlier this year whose vacant positions would be eliminated.
`We were hoping that more people would take advantage of that voluntary separation plan,` said Duryea.
Cuts at the nursing home might not bring immediate benefit to the county, but with the specter of future hardship phasing out that service and moving to more at-home care for the elderly is part of Breslin’s plan.
While costs at the nursing home are being cut, Breslin also proposed increasing funding for the county’s in-home elderly service program by $500,000.
The economy is at the root of many of the county’s problems, and that includes the expectation that unemployment will continue to rise in the coming months. Social Services programs will see more money under the proposed plan; Family Assistance was budgeted an extra $589,000 and the Safety Net program was afforded $1.6 million more.
`As the unemployment rate continues to rise, we just don’t see light at the end of the tunnel as far as county finances are concerned,` Breslin said.
Total appropriations to the Department of Social Services would decrease by just under 5 percent.
Now that the budget is submitted, members of the county legislature will review and amend the proposal. They must adopt a budget by the end of the year.
While this year brought hard decisions, Breslin emphasized that things are not expected to get any better in 2010, especially considering that about $12 million in federal stimulus money will be expiring.
`Next year will be worse than this year,` he said. `It’s impetrative that we do things this year that are lasting. It was in that context that we put together this budget.`
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