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Unfunded state mandates putting more pressure on county budget every year

Franklin County Legislator and Tupper Lake Mayor Paul Maroun said he does not believe the county, or most other local municipalities, will be able to be under the tax cap a few years from now, unless the state makes a change.

“Within a year or two there are going to be no local governments that are going to be able to withstand the tax cap,” Maroun said. “I don’t see how.”

Franklin County Treasurer Frances Perry agreed, saying unfunded mandates from the state, namely bail and election reform this year, put increasing financial stress on the county.

“It’s difficult every year,” she said. “As we move into the future, it is going to be increasingly difficult to come under that cap.”

Perry said the state should be contributing to its currently unfunded mandates.

“We got to have money to do this,” Maroun said. “(Gov. Andrew Cuomo) can’t just put these mandates on us. … I like the governor … but they’re way off on this.”

Maroun said always rising construction costs also contribute to the tax cap troubles.

He said the governor and state Legislature need to take capital construction funds out as a factor in the overall tax cap configuration, like school districts do.

“Having to replace aging infrastructure, that’s putting pressure on all municipalities around staying under the tax cap,” said Saranac Lake-based Legislator Lindy Ellis.

New mandates

The two main unfunded mandates passed by the governor and state Legislature this year are the Criminal Justice Reform Act and the election reform package.

The CJRA will eliminate cash bail and pretrial detention for many low-level offenses on Jan. 1, which will result in more paperwork for police departments and a reduction in revenue brought in by having fewer people in jail waiting for court appearances. Maroun said the district attorney and police may be twice as busy with administrative work. On the other hand, he said, the reduced demand on the jail may save the county some money.

Franklin County Manager Donna Kissane worked with District Attorney Craig Carriero for the DA budget and said he hired someone with police experience to fill an existing position instead of hiring for a new position in his office.

Kissane also said there could be increased need for emergency services funding because 911 calls will now be included in the discovery phase of police investigations.

Kissane said the Franklin County Board of Elections increased costs in this year’s budget because 2020 is a presidential election year and will be the second year of early voting in New York.

State of the southern end

Maroun said the southern end of the county, including Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, does not receive the same amount of county funds as the northern end, where the county offices are located in Malone. This is despite Tupper Lake, Harrietstown, Santa Clara and Franklin — all southern-end towns — providing 53.56% of the county’s tax levy.

“Sometimes you see me get a little upset with my colleagues in the north,” Maroun said.

However, Maroun said he understands that with many county services, including the jail, housed in the north, that is where the money is needed to pay salaries, which make up one of the biggest portions of the budget. He said it is the same way in Albany or Washington D.C.

Ellis said that while the southern end of the county contributes a lot to the total tax levy, “There’s quite a number of services for out people here in the south end.”

Maroun said though the southern end does not get as much funding as the northern end, it has enough this year.

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