Photo by Tom Rivers – This file photo shows the top of the Orleans County Courthouse, a building constructed in 1858 and the focal point of a historic district in Albion.

ALBION – A new report puts Orleans County near the top of the list for the best-run counties in the state.

The county has a low debt per capita, doesn’t overspend its budget, has a strong rating from Moody’s, and hasn’t neglected infrastructure maintenance, according to the study in the New York State Bar Association.

The study includes a new set of metrics for evaluating a county. James Coffey, Dr. Robert Christopherson and Patrick Bowen presented the results of their study in the winter issue of the New York State Bar Association’s Municipal Lawyer.

The authors urged municipal attorneys to weigh the factors in the report as they advise municipal boards. The authors say many elected officials don’t look at the long-term health of a government. That includes tackling needed infrastructure projects without taking on too much debt. That may mean raising taxes to maintain and improve the community, the authors said.

The report is critical of “those leaders who cut taxes irresponsibly while allowing the infrastructure of the community they represent to deteriorate.”

They argued that municipalities must be profitable, or they risk bankruptcy. Well-run governments also promote confidence in their communities, spurring investments in housing and businesses.

Orleans is the fourth-rated county in the report, with Herkimer the top-rated followed by Clinton and Seneca. Delaware rounds out the top five.

The five lowest of 62 counties ranked include Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk, Westchester and Saratoga. Those counties have budgets where their revenue doesn’t cover expenditures. They also have high debt per capita, which results in a larger percentage of tax money going to interest payments rather than directly to services.

Orleans carries a per capita debt of $347 per person, compared to $1,286 in Westchester County and $3,026 in Nassau. Orleans, from 2008 to 2012, also underspent its revenues by 2.68 percent a year. Saratoga was over by 6.08 percent and Nassau went over by 13.28 percent.

“We’ve been conservatively run for a long time,” said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.

The county’s budget for 2014 totals $79.8 million. That includes a first-time debt payment of $475,000 for an upgraded emergency communication system.

Nesbitt said the county is looking at other projects, including new roofs for the County Administration Building and Public Safety Building. It also has 68 bridges and about 500 culverts in its inventory.

The county has an A1 rating from Moody’s, which County Treasurer Susan Heard said, “is a great rating for a county our size.”

Moody’s gives the county a high rating partly because of a low debt burden and a stable tax base. Moody’s has recommended a larger fund balance for the county. Orleans has about $5 million in reserve funds, but Heard said county legislators have opted to not raise taxes to grow the reserve funds.

“It could be higher but the county has chosen to instead lower taxes,” she said.

4-H’ers finish third year of building a robot with skills

Provided photos – The Orleans County 4-H Robotics Team poses for a photo at the regional competition last week at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The group includes, front row, from left: Liz Meyer, Hayden Allis and Kelsey Evoy. Back row: Michael Reese, Mack Lamirand, Marlene Seielstad, Morgan Seielstad, Brad Lamirand, Don Allis, Trevor Scott-Avery, Sam Reese, Jairus Martin, John Redshaw, Andrea Schwartz, Alyssa Shortridge, and Erik Seielstad. Team member Ben Miller and Nick Ettinger are missing from photo.

ALBION – A team may be called Joe’s Average Slackers, but the group of high schoolers from Albion and Medina is hardly lacking in determination.

For the third straight year, Orleans County fielded a robotics team through its 4-H program. The team competed in a regional competition last Thursday through Saturday at Rochester Institute of Technology.

The Orleans students built a robot and programmed it to perform tasks – grabbing and shooting a big ball, and also playing defense against others teams.

The team named its robot,“Animal,” and it scores during the competition.

The Orleans team lost several close matches and didn’t come home with a trophy at the RIT competition that included 49 teams.

“It isn’t just about winning,” said Erik Seielstad, one of the mentor’s for the program. “It goes beyond the robots and winning. There’s an opportunity to interact with kids.”

The 12-member team started meeting in January, brainstorming the design for its robot. It met at RS Automations in Albion. The company is one of many supporters for the program, which requires about $25,000 annually in sponsor support to pay for the robot, equipment and entry fees.

Some of the other main sponsors are Baxter Healthcare in Medina, Xerox in Rochester, the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, Stanton Signs in Medina, Takeform in Medina, and the 4-H Youth Development program.

Some of the drive team members wait for their cue to take the field for an upcoming match.

The Orleans team competes in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). There aren’t many robotics teams from rural areas. Marlene Seielstad, Erik’s wife and one of the mentors, praised the community support for the program.

“It’s worth every penny for what the kids get out of it,” she said. “When we were done the kids were so positive and they all had smiles. That’s the kind of team you want.”

The Orleans team gave Congressman Chris Collins a tour of their setup at RIT on Friday. Kelsey Evoy and Liz Meyer explained how they built the robot and the rules of the game to the congressman, who has a background in engineering.

The teams at RIT came from all over New York, with others teams from Pennsylvania, Florida and Canada.

Three teams advanced to a competition in St. Louis. Those teams include the Lockport Warlocks, Newfane Circuit Stompers and Clifton Park Rocketeers.

The team from Orleans County, No. 4093, plays defense during the competition.

Joe’s Average Slackers and the Orleans 4-H will host a 6:30 p.m. informational meeting on May 7 at the Cooperative Extension’s Education Center in Knowlesville.

The Seielstads said more team members will be needed next year because half of this year’s group will be graduating. For more information, e-mail the Seielstads at robotics@wiksclan.com.

The new state budget gives local school districts sizable increases in state aid, money that districts will use to maintain existing programs and also hold down taxes.

Four of the five school districts don’t expect to raise taxes. Kendall, which is considering a 1.9 percent tax increase, may direct some of the state funding for needed technology and safety improvements, said Nadine Hanlon, president of the Board of Education.

Kendall last year cut school taxes by $1 million, reducing the average tax rate from $21.51 to $17.45 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The board will meet on April 9 and plans to adopt a budget that will go before voters on May 20.

The other four school districts don’t plan to raise taxes and will maintain their existing programs for students.

Here is a chart showing a breakdown of the operating aid:

The governor proposed smaller aid increases for the schools, ranging from 0.1 percent for Lyndonville to 3.3 percent for Medina. The State Legislature pushed for more and got it.

“We were very pleased to see the numbers,” said Michael Bonnewell, Albion Central School superintendent. “It will fill our gap. We’ll certainly have what we need to continue our current programs.”

Bonnewell and school administrators will recommend a budget to the Board of Education on Monday that doesn’t increase property taxes.

Based on the governor’s budget that proposed a 2 percent increase in aid, Albion was looking at a $139,000 gap to maintain current programs and not raise taxes. That $139,000 would have raised taxes by 1.6 percent. The Legislature gave Albion a 4.5 percent increase or about $500,000 more than the governor’s budget.

Some of that increase may go into a reserve fund to be used in the future or to help with any unexpected expenses.

Holley was already planning to cut school taxes by 10.6 percent or $800,000. The governor proposed a $153,466 or 1.3 percent increase for Holley. The final budget boosted Holley’s operating aid by $392,000 or 3.4 percent.

Robert D’Angelo, the district superintendent, said he will soon meet with the Board of Education to discuss how to best use the additional state aid.

The $800,00 tax cut will reduce residents’ tax rate from $25.11 to a projected $22.44 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The governor’s budget gave Lyndonville a tiny increase of $946 in additional operating aid. The final budget gives Lyndonville a $185,419 increase. That is enough to hold taxes steady, said Jason Smith, the district superintendent.

“At this point, the district is considering a 0 percent increase on the tax levy, and the district is not looking to add staff or programs,” he said. “We will continue to invest resources in our instructional program to meet the increased demands of the Common Core and the Regents Reform Agenda.”

Medina will see the biggest increase in state aid, a 7.3 percent jump or an additional $1,345,670. The governor proposed a 3.3 percent increase.

Medina won’t be adding staff or programs and won’t seek a tax increase, said Jeff Evoy, the district superintendent.

“This additional money certainly helps and we are appreciative, but we will still be using appropriated fund balance and reserves to support our expenditures next year,” Evoy said. “Our goal is to maintain existing programs. However, all expenses will be carefully monitored.”

Cuomo proposed an $807 million increase in education aid for schools in 2014-15, a 3.8 percent increase. The state Legislature boosted that number to a $1.1 billion hike.