2025 county budget would give Soil & Water slight increase, while most agencies stay same

ALBION – The tentative Orleans County budget for 2025 increases funding one agency while others stay at the same level.

The tentative budget includes $99,092,747 in spending, a 7.1 percent increase and would raise taxes by 1.95 percent.

The county allocates some funding to different agencies that provide services in the community.

Only the Soil & Water Conservation District was given an increase, from $97,500 to a proposed $100,500.

Jack Welch, the county chief administrative officer and budget officer, said Soil & Water has been working with more property owners who have experienced flooding damage and need help from Soil & Water with drainage issues.

The agency requested the additional $3,000 and it was approved in the tentative budget.

The Legislature will have a public hearing at 4 p.m. on Dec. 3 for the budget, with the Legislature to vote in a meeting following the hearing in the legislative chambers of the County Office Building.

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO Art!) and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County both sought increases but have been kept at the same level as 2024.

GO Art! sought $6,000 but stays at $4,000 in the budget, while the Cooperative Extension asked for $250,000, but was kept at $240,000. That is where the county funding for the Extension has stayed since 2017.

The Extension last year requested an increase to $275,000. This time the organization tried for a more modest hike of $10,000 but again is in the budget at $240,000.

The four public libraries collectively asked for $1 per resident or $40,343 to reflect the county’s population in the 2020 Census. But the libraries remain $10,087 in the budget, the amount since 2011. (The county was giving $29,914 to be shared among the four libraries as recently as 2002, but that dropped to $7,480 in 2003. Since then, the amount was raised to $12,587 in 2007, $13,617 in 2010, and then was cut to $10,087 in 2011.)

Two other agencies stay the same and didn’t request more money: the Orleans Economic Development Agency at $200,000 and Mercy Flight at $5,000. The Orleans EDA was boosted to $200,000 in 2024 after getting $190,000 in 2023.

One of the funded agencies in 2024 was dropped from $3,000 to zero in the tentative budget. The Cobblestone Museum was given the $3,000 in 2024 after not being in the budget. Welch said the museum didn’t submit a formal written request for funding for 2025. The museum expects to break ground on a new visitor’s center in 2025.

The Sportsmen’s Federation used to be in the county budget and typically received $1,000 a year through 2023. It was dropped to $0 in 2024 and isn’t allocated any funding for 2025 in the tentative budget.