Orleans County faces $252,000 financial hit from change

Press Release, New York State Association of Counties

ALBANY – The New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC), joined by county leaders from across the state and representatives from the anti-hunger community, today called on Congress to delay implementation of a major federal cost shift to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), warning it will strain local budgets and threaten food access for millions of New Yorkers.

The call came during a virtual press conference featuring NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario, NYSAC President and Oswego County Administrator Philip Church, Onondaga County Executive and New York State County Executives’ Association President Ryan McMahon, and leaders from the Regional Food Bank and Island Harvest.

The appeal follows changes enacted in the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which reduces the federal share of SNAP administrative funding from 50 percent to 25 percent beginning October 1, 2026. In New York, where counties administer the program, this change is expected to impose at least $168 million in new annual costs for counties and New York City. (Editor’s Note: The impact to Orleans County would be $252,000 annually.)

County leaders are urging Congress to delay the cost shift to allow time for states and local governments to prepare for the significant operational and fiscal impacts.

“New York is unique in the nation in that counties are charged with delivering SNAP benefits to nearly 3 million New Yorkers, and this abrupt federal cost shift threatens our ability to do that effectively,” Acquario said. “We are asking Congress for a reasonable, bipartisan solution—a two-year delay—so counties can plan, build capacity, and continue serving residents without disruption.”

Acquario noted that the urgency of the issue is underscored by recent experience. During the federal government shutdown late last year, disruptions to SNAP benefits led to immediate spikes in demand at food banks across the state, highlighting the program’s critical role in preventing hunger and stabilizing communities.

Philip Church, NYSAC President and Oswego County Administrator, emphasized the fiscal pressure counties are already facing and the limited options available to absorb new costs.

“After decades of partnership, this sudden shift in federal responsibility places millions of dollars in new requirements on local governments,” said Church. “Counties are already dealing with rising costs in Medicaid, retirement benefits, and other state mandates. Without relief, we are left with two unacceptable choices: raise property taxes or cut essential public services.”

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon highlighted both the human and economic stakes of the proposed changes.

Leaders from New York’s food banks echoed these concerns, noting that any disruption to SNAP will increase demand on already strained emergency food systems.

Susan Lintner, Chief of Advocacy and Engagement, Regional Food Bank said, “For every meal provided by food banks and our partner food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters, SNAP provides nine; the charitable food system is not designed to meet that need. SNAP remains the our nation’s most critical program to addressing food insecurity. In order to ensure seamless continuity of these essential benefits, our county leaders deserve the opportunity to plan, prepare and budget to ensure that our neighbors continue to access, while also being fiscally responsible to taxpayers. All New Yorkers deserve the confidence of knowing they have access to their next meal.”

Counties stressed that the request for a delay is a practical, time-limited solution that would allow for proper planning, staffing, and system upgrades needed to implement the changes effectively.

In addition to the federal delay, county leaders urged the State of New York to include funding in the enacted state budget to cover the full cost of the shift if it proceeds as scheduled—protecting counties, New York City, and the 2.7 million New Yorkers who depend on SNAP.

Chart information from State Comptroller’s Office. The state-wide number represents the amount for local governments – counties and cities.

ALBION – Orleans County’s sales tax revenues are up 4.6 percent in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of nearly $300,000 from $5.88 million to $6.15 million, according to the State Comptroller’s Office.

Orleans is coming off a big sales tax year in 2025 when revenues jumped 9.3 percent or nearly $2.2 million from $23.42 million in 2024 to $25.59 million in 2025.

The revenue helps the county offset increases and helps hold down property taxes at the county level. The County legislature also shares $1,366,671 with the 10 towns and four villages, a level that has been unchanged since 2001. The towns and villages collectively receive about 5 percent of the total.

State-wide the local government sales tax collections are up 5.1 percent from $5.8 billion to 6.1 billion. Ulster County in seeing the biggest increase at 10.7 percent, followed by Genesee County at 9.7 percent.

“Local sales tax collections experienced a substantial increase in the first quarter compared to last year, but growth varied significantly by region,” said Tom DiNapoli, the state comptroller. “An economic slowdown due to geopolitical conflicts and federal actions could affect future tax collections, and local governments must be cautious in estimating this revenue.”

The comptroller said inflation was 2.4 percent in both January and February this year before increasing to 3.3 percent in March.

“In addition, gas prices spiked nationwide this past March due to the conflict between the United States and Iran,” the report from the comptroller stated. “Large fluctuations can influence local sales tax collections, even though motor fuels sales taxes comprise a small percentage of total collections.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: Main Street in downtown Albion is shown in this photo from early March.

County-wide system would have full-time staff, more consistency

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Orleans County Association of Municipalities met Tuesday evening at Dubby’s Tailgate to discuss code enforcement in the county and whether there would be interest from the towns and villages for the county to do some of the code enforcement work. Chad Haviland, assistant director for Oversight for the New York State Department of State, Division of Building Standards and Codes, spoke to the group. Haviland said some counties do code enforcement, and that has resulted in more consistency in how the job is done in those communities.

ALBION – Do the towns and villages in Orleans County have the best system for providing code enforcement in the community right now, or could the service be improved with the county helping with property maintenance and fire inspections, incident responses and other duties that can arise 24-7?

Most of the municipalities have part-time code officers. A shift to full-time officers at the county should improve accessibility and consistency in how the job is done, local officials were told during a meeting Tuesday. About 50 people attended the Orleans County Association of Municipalities meeting at Dubby’s Tailgate.

The county Department of Planning and Development has put together a survey about the issue and is seeking input from the code officers, town and village board members, and zoning and planning board members about the current code enforcement needs and challenges, and whether there is interest in exploring whether the county should provide code enforcement.

Dwayne Tinkous, code enforcement officer for the town of Carlton, said the part-time job is demanding, requiring full-time effort. Last year he handled 120 permits in Carlton. He said a shift to the county in doing the job may result in a loss of the “personal touch” where the town code enforcement knows the people and their circumstances.

Being a code enforcement officer is “one of the most thankless jobs out there,” said Dwayne Tinkous, the Carlton code officer. He brings a “personal touch” and has been able to resolve issues with property maintenance and permits, without ever going to court in his three years on the job.

“I try to make it personal,” he said. “You can put out fires before they start.”

If the code officer wasn’t from the town, Tinkous fears they wouldn’t be as personable and would be quick to cite people for a violation.

The position is part-time, but he said it is full-time hours in Carlton. Last year he handled 120 permits.

Tinkous said the local code officers could use more help in doing all facets of the job, but he isn’t sure having the county involved in the best approach.

“Just the lakeshore alone is impossible to deal with,” Tinkous said about the many permits and projects on that coveted property.

The local code officers do work together and cover for one another if someone is out of town, Tinkous said.

Chad Haviland, assistant director for Oversight for the New York State Department of State, said there are a lot of requirements on code enforcement officers for training that can make it difficult for rural areas to have enough certified people in the positions.

Chad Haviland, assistant director for Oversight for the New York State Department of State, said some parts of the state have a shortage of code officers, and he worries the situation will get worse. He supports full-time code officers at the county level, who would do work in the towns and villages.

The municipalities could contract with the county, perhaps being billed by permit, population or parcel.

County Legislator John Fitzak said the informal survey among the local officials is to gauge if there is interest in doing a more formal study on the pros and cons of countywide code enforcement, how it would be funded and what services provided. If the municipalities are happy with the current system, Fitzak said there is no reason to make a change.

Genesee County is currently doing a study for county-wide code and zoning enforcement for 20 municipalities, trying to bring more consistency for residents, businesses and property owners.

Tim McMurray, the Albion mayor, speaks at Tuesday’s meeting about code enforcement in the community. He said one option could be the county handling fire inspections do let code officers focus on other parts of the job.

Lyndonville Mayor John Belson said the issue has been discussed in Orleans County before. Belson, the former Yates town supervisor, was part of a group from Orleans that visited Wyoming County to see how it handled county-wide code enforcement.

He recalled there were four full-time officers and each hand a county car and a secretary and needed offices. They were provided health insurance and retirement benefits.

“It was a phenomenal amount of money,” Belson said.

Barre Town Supervisor Steve Coville said he isn’t in favor of making a change from the town’s part-time codes officer unless he can see a benefit to Barre in reduced cost and improved service. He would like to see all the code officers in the county get together and make suggestions first before getting into a survey.

Paul Hennekey, the Kendall code officer, noted many of the code officers “are beyond retirement age.”

Haviland, the Department of State official, said code enforcement is a critical position that can lead to fewer fires and building collapses. He previously worked as a senior code officer in the town of Seneca.

“It’s about safety and who’s going to be living there next,” he said.

Corey Winters, director of Planning and Development for Orleans County, said the county will wait to see the results of the initial survey before deciding whether to pursue a bigger study on the issue.

Chris Kinter, the code officer for the village and town of Albion, said code officers need the support of their town and village boards, as well as municipal attorneys to do the job effectively.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Holli Nenni accepts a “Special Recognition” award on Tuesday from the Orleans County Legislature in appreciation for a 38 ½ year career with the Department of Social Services.

ALBION – When Mary Grace “Holli” Nenni started as a caseworker for Orleans County 38 ½ years ago, the Department of Social Services didn’t have cell phones or the internet.

Nenni used a Dictaphone to record notes from client visits.

When she started her career, she never imagined she would be ending it as the commissioner of the DSS, overseeing 70 employees.

Nenni will be retiring on May 22. She started in 1987 as a caseworker and then was promoted to a senior position in 1992. She became coordinator of Child Enforcement Unit in 2000, then director of temporary assistance in 2006. She was promoted to deputy commissioner of social services in 2010 with a final appointment as DSS commissioner in 2021.

“Your dedication and expertise have benefitted our county tremendously,” the County Legislature declared in an award presented to Nenni on Tuesday.

Legislators praised Nenni for her “commendable service and dedication to the Orleans County Department of Social Services.”

Nenni worked with three DSS commissioners before becoming one herself.

“Each step of my journey came with its own challenges, but also a lot of growth,” Nenni said during the Legislature meeting. “While I’m looking forward to forgetting a lot of the past 38 years, one thing I won’t forget is the co-workers who show up every day ready to help others. Each of them helped me along in my journey.”

The DSS divisions include temporary assistance, child & family services, domestic violence services, and the child support and enforcement unit.

DSS partners with many local agencies and county departments – UConnectCare, Mental Health, Job Development and others – to help people overcome barriers and become self sufficient, Nenni said.

In recent years, DSS has faced a rising caseload of people without housing. Before the Covid pandemic in 2020, DSS usually was working with less than 20 people to find housing.

“We were in the teens, and now we’re in the low 70s,” Nenni said. “We have been over 100.”

A former youth that Nenni assisted as a caseworker spoke at Tuesday’s Legislature meeting and thanked Nenni for helping guide him through a rough period of his childhood. Tim McMurray is now the Albion mayor. He said Nenni was able to connect him with a supportive family, and that made a huge difference in his life.

The Legislature named Nenni’s successor during the Tuesday meeting. Shirley Mazourek, a licensed clinical social worker and mental health professional, will be the next commissioner.