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A rendering of the planned Saratoga County public safety complex provided by David Pacheco of H2M architects + engineers; and (left to right) Deputy County Administrator Chad Cooke, Chairman Ed Kinowski and County Administrator Spencer Hellwig. Photo by Larry Goodwin.
BALLSTON SPA – On Wednesday, county officials presented a tentative $320 million spending plan for the 2018 fiscal year. It includes $20 million for countywide road improvements and $32 million for the long-planned construction of a public safety complex.
Projected sales tax revenue of $119 million will remain a reliable driver of Saratoga County’s favorable fiscal ratings, says County Administrator Spencer Hellwig.
In the last year, Hellwig said, there also was $786 million worth of new construction and home or business improvements, bringing the total value of property in Saratoga County to over $25 billion.
Yet “revenue from that growth,” he explained, is offset by “a greater demand” on the county’s public services; and further complicated by reductions in state aid along with the imposition of various “unfunded” state mandates.
“What we have to do is go back and reduce our operating costs,” Hellwig said.
“The 2018 Saratoga County tentative budget still maintains virtually the lowest property taxes in the state with no major cuts to services,” Hellwig concluded in his formal budget statement. “In addition, Standard and Poor’s bond-rating service continues to give us their highest New York State rating of AA+, citing our healthy financial position and low tax burden.
“At this time,” Hellwig added, “I am happy to report that the 2018 tentative budget is fully balanced and provides the services our residents demand while addressing the planning for our long-term needs.”
Stillwater Supervisor Edward Kinowski, who chairs the Board of Supervisors, said a months-long review of the budget revealed to him how “complex” the process of preparing it is for Hellwig and Deputy County Administrator Chad Cooke.
Kinowski said a number of “outside” factors are driving up costs, but that a thorough review of expenses and revenues by supervisors and each of the county’s department heads enabled Hellwig and Cooke to make the necessary arrangements.
The supervisor also expressed caution about unexpected downturns in the state and national economies. “We must never forget how quickly the financial tide can turn,” Kinowski said, noting how various committees will continue to review the county budget through November.
The full board of supervisors will vote on the final spending plan on Wednesday, Dec. 13, according to the official schedule.
A total of $32 million has been budgeted for construction of a new public safety complex on County Farm Road west of Ballston Spa, which was first proposed in 2006. The facility will help consolidate the administrative functions of the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, a call center for 911 dispatchers, emergency and health department workers and probation staff.
The existing county jail complex will remain. Once the project begins, construction of the new complex is expected to last 16 to 18 months.
In his budget statement, Hellwig indicated that the property tax levy of $2.29 per thousand dollars of assessed value—a slight decrease from the 2017 fiscal year—is projected to yield more than $58 million in 2018, the second largest source of county revenue after sales taxes.
“As was the case in 2017, all of our property tax revenue will be spent paying for unfunded state mandates,” Hellwig wrote. “The projected net cost of these mandates next year is more than $60.7 million and will consume every penny of the 2018 property tax levy, plus an additional $2.1 million from other general fund revenue.”
He added, “Every year our Board of Supervisors travels to Albany to meet with our representatives in the New York State Senate and Assembly to urge them to work toward financial relief in the area of costly, mandated state programs that we are being forced to subsidize with no input on how these programs are managed.”
The largest state mandate involves Medicaid spending of $26 million, with the next largest being $9.2 million for county pensions, according to the budget summary.
Cooke pointed out that state aid has decreased by more than $3 million in the last year alone. It will be down to $27.1 million in 2018.
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