ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature held its organizational meeting on Thursday and made several appointments including the following:.

• Lisa Stenshorn will continue as the clerk to the Legislature.

• Kathy Bogan stays as the county attorney.

• The Daily News of Batavia will be the official newspaper carrying legal notices.

• County Legislator Don Allport of Gaines is designated by the Republicans as majority leader of the Legislature and Fred Miller of Albion is designated by the Democrats as minority leader.

• The regular meetings of the Orleans County Legislature will be the fourth Tuesday of the months of January, March, April, May, June, August, September, and October at 4:30 p.m. at the Orleans County Legislative Chambers. The regular February, November and December meetings will be the third Tuesday of the month at 4:30 p.m. The July meeting will be held the fifth Tuesday.

• The Legislature appoints the legislators Merle “Skip” Draper, John Fitzak and Bill Eick as delegates to the InterCounty Association of Western New York to represent Orleans County effective Jan. 1, 2024 through Dec. 31, 2025. Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson will be an alternate, and so will Lisa Stenshorn, the Legislature clerk; and Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer.

• The following appointments to the board for the Orleans Economic Development Agency were reaffirmed by the Legislature: Carol D’Agostino, Jeffrey Martin, John Misiti, Craig Tuohey and Ed Urbanik. Legislators John Fitzak and Skip Draper also were appointed to the EDA board. The county will also contribute $200,000 to the EDA budget in 2024, to be paid in $50,000 quarterly payments.

• The following were appointed to the Soil and Water District Board: Albion dairy farmer James Neal from the Farm Bureau, and legislators Bill Eick and Ed Morgan.

• The following were re-appointed to the Oak Orchard Watershed Board for a two-year term: Ed Morgan, the Soil and Water Chairman; and onion growers on the muck Guy Smith, Peter Smith and Joseph Bezon.

• James Bensley, the county’s director of planning, was named as the Orleans County representative on the Region 8 Open Space Advisory Committee.

• Named Jim Bensley, the director of planning, as an Orleans County representative on the Genesee Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, for a two-year term. John Fitzak, Orleans County legislator, will be the chairman’s alternate to the Genesee Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council.

• Approved paying the New York State Association of Counties $7,367 in 2024 for government consultation in Albany and Washington D.C. The services include: state budget advocacy, legislative advocacy, legal and technical assistance, training and educational programs, policy analysis, research, daily news clips, electronic newsletters, NYSAC news, other programs and services of benefit to the county.

• Legislator Fred Miller was appointed to a two-year term on the Orleans County Jury Board.

• The Legislature also approved an agreement with Benjamin J. Bonarigo, PLLC, by Kristie L. DeFreze, Esq. to be the Assigned Counsel Administrator at a cost of $35,000 for the year plus another $6,000 for administrative assistant services. Retired County Court Judge James Punch was serving in the role with Virginia Nicholson as the administrative assistant.

Press Release, Orleans County Legislature

ALBION – Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson today announced that the county has successfully extended the term of a New York State grant that helps low-to-moderate income residents acquire residential broadband equipment and services.

The effort is run through Connect Orleans, a collaborative of Orleans County, the United Way of Orleans County, Orleans Digital Literacy Initiative and Ambient Broadband.

According to Johnson, qualified residents in the towns of Albion, Gaines and Shelby, as well as the villages of Albion, Holley and Medina, have until February 15 to sign-up and take advantage of a subsidy that could cover the full cost of broadband equipment and the installation of broadband service at their home.

“The Orleans County Legislature has long been focused on getting the infrastructure in place to extend access to cost-effective broadband across our county and we have been making tremendous steps in doing so,” said Johnson.  “With our partners in Connect Orleans, we want to spread the word about funds that could get you hooked up at no charge as well as educational opportunities on the use of technology.”

Residents are encouraged to visit www.connectorleans.net to learn more about the program as well as available broadband service packages. Interested residents who complete the contact form on the website will be contacted by a member of the Connect Orleans team to confirm service availability as well as applicant eligibility for the subsidy program. Residents can also call Connect Orleans at (585) 493-6014.

When combined with the separate federal Affordable Connectivity Program, qualified residents may be able to receive high-speed broadband at their homes for as low as $0 for equipment and installation as well as $0 for monthly service.

“Even those who do not qualify can still choose from very affordable monthly packages for high-speed, reliable internet service so I encourage people to visit the website and learn more,” Johnson said.

3.40% property tax rate more than double state average of 1.62%

Source: SmartAsset

In Orleans County, property owners pay the highest effective tax rate among all 62 counties in the state, according to a ranking by SmartAsset, a financial technology company that publishes articles and guides about personal finance.

In Orleans, the average effective tax rate is 3.40 percent, more than double the state average of 1.62 percent. That rate is determined by taking the median annual property tax payment of $3,445 and dividing that by the median home value of $101,400.

Other nearby counties are close to the 3.40 percent effective property tax rate in Orleans. Monroe is at 3.21 percent, with Genesee at 2.76, Niagara at 2.89 percent and Erie at 2.63 percent.

In Orleans, the median property tax isn’t that high compared to other counties, and is lower than some of its counterparts. The primary driver for Orleans having the highest effective property tax rate are low property values compared to the other counties.

The $3,445 median property tax in Orleans is much lower than the $4,874 median in Monroe. However, Monroe has a median home value of $152,000 – about $50,000 higher than in Orleans.

The Orleans median annual property tax bill of $3,445 is very close to the $3,456 median in Genesee County, the $3,654 median in Livingston and $3,114 median in Wyoming County. Those are the four rural GLOW counties.

Orleans tops them with the highest effective tax rate because of the lower median home value. The $101,400 median in Orleans compares to $125,200 in Genesee, $134,000 in Livingston and $118,800 in Wyoming.

The $101,400 is among the lowest in the state. In Western New York, the values are lower in Allegany at $78,400, Cattaraugus at $90,200 and Chautauqua at $92,900. The property taxes, however, are also lower in those counties compared to Orleans with Allegany at $2,574 (3.28 percent rate), Cattaraugus at $2,665 (2.95 percent rate) and Chautauqua at $2,622 (2.82 percent rate).

New York City has the lowest effective property tax rate at 0.98 percent, but the median property tax bill is also the highest at $10,000, according to SmartAsset. However, the median home value is $1,024,500 – about 10 times the value in Orleans County.

Rates higher in towns that haven’t done reassessments

Orleans Hub chart with data from the Orleans County Real Property Tax Services and the NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services.

ALBION – The tax bills arriving for property owners around Orleans County have varying tax rates due to the towns not all doing town-wide reassessments the same year.

The towns used to do reassessments every three years, except in Barre which did a re-evaluation every year.

But only four of the 10 towns did an updated reassessment in 2023. Carlton, Kendall, Ridgeway and Shelby all are at 100 percent valuation and their county tax rates range from $7.52 to $7.57 per $1,000 of assessed property. (The county budget for 2024 increases the tax levy by 3.25 percent.)

Some of the towns are at least four years from their last town-wide reassessment. Murray is only at 70 percent of market value and that town has the highest county tax rate at $10.83 after the equalization rate is factored in.

The state imposes the equalization rates so towns that aren’t at full valuation are paying their fair share in property taxes.

Albion, Gaines and Yates are at 74 percent value and they pay tax rates from $10.18 to $10.23. Barre and Clarendon, which did reassessments in 2022, are at 90 percent value and they pay county tax rates of $8.40 in Barre and $8.43 in Clarendon.

Some of the towns have held off on town-wide re-evaluations to see if a hot real estate market would slow down. But the prices haven’t cooled off. Some of the towns also have new assessors and have put off the ambitious task of re-evaluating 2,000 to 3,000 properties.

ALBION – A new travel guide features a dominant photo of a sailboat at sunset at Lake Ontario, a photo taken by Pamela Moore. Other photographers include Alyssa Baker of the Kendall fireworks, Katie Oakes of apple harvest workers, Heather Holiday of people fishing, and Lynne Menz of the new bronze statue of Santa in Albion.

The Orleans County Legislature last week approved a bid by Freeport Press in New Philadelphia, Ohio to print 45,000 copies of the travel guide at a cost of $21,676 with the cost to be paid out of state I Love NY matching funds. The 48-page guide highlights many local attractions and events in the county.

The travel guides will be distributed at travel centers and at trade shows, and also many other locations in the county and region.

The Legislature also approved other agreements for the tourism department. Lynne Menz Designs of Kent will be paid up to $18,000 for tourism coordinator services, and up to $22,000 for design services in 2024. The design services include advertising design, publication design, social media, photography and video production.

The Legislature also agreed to pay Ron Bierstine of Kent as the sportfishing coordinator for $45 an hour, not to exceed $10,000 for the year.

The Legislature last week also approved the travel for Dawn Borchet, the tourism director, to attend the following upcoming trade and travel shows: Fly Fishing Show – Edison, NJ; Sportsmen’s Show & Outdoor Recreation RV’s & Boat, Monroeville, PA; West Virginia Fishing, Hunting & Outdoor Sports Show, Morgantown, WV. The costs will be paid by Lake Ontario Sportfishing Promotional Council.

ALBION – Orleans County has accepted $120,000 from the state for fiscal year 2023, and is using those funds from the opioid settlement to contract with UConnect Care (formerly GCASA).

The County Legislature last week approved accepting the funds and then an agreement with UConnect for treatment and prevention services.

The Legislature last week also approved transferring $5,000 in opioid settlement funds from the Mental Health Department to Suicide Prevention Coalition.

The money for Orleans comes from the more than $2 billion secured by the state from companies involved in manufacturing, distributing and selling opioids.

Gov. Kathy Hochul last week said $192 million of those funds have been allocated state-wide in the first year of the settlement.

She said the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports and Department of Health has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support a full continuum of prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services designed to increase access to help and support in every area of the state.

“I know how devastating it is watching a loved one navigate addiction, and how important it is to expand and enhance these services so that everyone is able to access the help and support they need,” Hochul said. “We are distributing historic amounts of funding to address this crisis, including through the opioid settlement fund, which is allowing us to hold opioid manufacturers and distributors responsible for the role they have played in this crisis.”

There were 6,300 overdose deaths in the state in 2022, with opioids involved in more than three-quarters of those deaths, Hochul’s office said.

OASAS Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said, “We remain in the worst overdose crisis ever, and New York State is taking decisive, concrete steps to help individuals, families, and communities that have been impacted.”

Project funded as part of nearly $3 million state grant

ALBION – A tower soon to be constructed in Carlton also will carry about $1.2 million in communications equipment.

The County legislature last week approved agreements for equipment on the tower. The county will pay L3 Harris Technologies of Lynchburg, Va. Up to $825,000 to purchase national interop communications equipment and associated services.

The county also approved paying $416,410 to Zetron Inc. in Redmond, Wa. for national interop communications equipment and associated services.

The expenses will be covered as part of a $2,990,000 million state grant awarded to the county in March.

The grant pays for a new tower and equipment at the Orleans County Emergency Management Office on West Countyhouse Road in Albion, equipment for a new tower in Carlton, and two backup 911 dispatch consoles at the EMO site. (Construction has started on the foundation of the new tower in Carlton and the 180-foot-high tower should be ready in the spring.)

The Legislature last week also approved spending $97,725 to L3 Harris Technologies for the two backup dispatch consoles.

The Legislature also approved an agreement for up to $200,000 last week with Timothy Worth of Radio Technologies in Webster to administer the $2,990,000 grant and provide technical resources for the county. The agreement runs from Dec. 20, 2023 to March 28, 2027.

In another project funded mostly with a state grant, the county approved spending $165,163 with L3 Harris Technologies for new radios and associated accessories for the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department. A state grant covers $110,000 of the cost.

ALBION – Orleans County has renewed a contract with Park Strategies to assist with advocating at the state and federal levels for funding and also to make the county’s voice heard about legislation that could help or hurt at the local level.

The county will pay Park $90,000 for 2024, the same rate since 2020. The agreement calls for the county to pay Park Strategies $5,000 a month for government affairs services at the federal level and $2,500 a month for government affairs services at the state level. The county first retained Park in 2015.

County officials say the relationship has paid off recently with millions in aid for broadband funding, and a $2 million grant through U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s office for a new building for the Emergency Management Office.

Park Strategies was founded by Al D’Amato, the former U.S. senator from New York. The firm assists county officials in setting up meetings with representatives from the state and federal governments. Park Strategies also makes the county aware of legislative that could be helpful or harmful to the county, and brainstorms ways to pursue funding for critical projects in the county.

In the past county officials have praised Park Strategies for helping to make the county’s case to the state Department of Transportation for canal bridges to be repaired. The state spent about $10.7 million recently to fix seven bridges.

The state also has repaved portions of the Lake Ontario State Parkway, committed to dredging harbors on Lake Ontario and also allocated funds to protect lakeshore properties from flooding.

Unemployed also grew by 200 in county, according to DOL

The latest stats from the state Department of Labor show 400 more people were working in Orleans County in November, compared to the same time a year earlier.

While employment in the county was up from 16,300 to 16,700 from November 2022 to November 2023, the number of unemployed also increased from 500 to 700 during that time, the DOL reported.

The county’s unemployment rate increased from 3.3 percent in November 2022 to 3.8 percent last month, the DOL reported.

In New York, the state-wide unemployment rate up from 3.8 to 4.0 percent from November 2022 to November 2023, while national rate edged up from 3.4 to 3.5 percent in that time.

Statewide employment increased 193,400 during those 12 months to 9.34 million, and people on unemployment went up 30,000 to 395,500.

The unemployment rates in Orleans County so far in 2023 include 4.8 percent in January, 4.3 percent in February, 4.0 percent in March, 2.9 percent in April, 3.1 percent in May, 3.3 percent in June, 3.5 percent in July, 4.0 percent in August, 3.2 percent in September, 3.5 percent in October, and 3.8 percent in November.

Here are the unemployment rates in November for WNY counties:

• Orleans, 3.8 percent
• Genesee, 3.3 percent
• Wyoming, 3.9 percent
• Livingston, 3.4 percent
• Monroe, 3.8 percent
• Niagara, 4.1 percent
• Erie, 3.9 percent
• Chautauqua, 4.1 percent
• Cattaraugus, 4.2 percent

Altogether the 10 towns, 4 villages remain at same level since 2001

Charts by Orleans Hub: Three of the villages will see increases in sales tax while Albion takes more than $6,000 hit.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has approved the amounts of sales tax for each of the four villages and 10 towns for 2024. Collectively, they will get $1,366,671, the same amount they have received since 2001.

Each year there are some slight changes for the municipalities depending on any shifts in the taxable values.

The Village of Medina will see the biggest increase, $8,114 – from $152,046 to $160,160. The Village of Albion’s amount will drop by $6,217 from $165,309 to $159,092.

Among the towns, Yates is getting the biggest increase at $4,429 (from $66,679 to $71,108), while Albion’s share outside the village drops $4,888 (from $123,953 to $119,065).

The majority of town and village boards in 2023 passed resolutions asking the County Legislature to increase the sales tax to the municipalities, but the Legislature opted against that in the 2024 budget, citing other rising costs for the county.

The county in 2022 took in $22.5 million in sales tax. Through the first three quarters of 2023, the sales tax went up 2.7 percent in Orleans County from $18.48 million to $18.98 million.

The towns and village receive about 6.0 percent of total. In their resolution asking for more sales tax, the towns and villages asked for 14 percent of the total. That’s what they were receiving in 1996 when the total local sales tax was $9,499,138.

If the county went to a 14 percent share it would have to increase the amount to towns and villages to $3,150,000 – a $1,783,329 increase.

ALBION – Genesee and Orleans counties will no longer share services for a county youth bureau. For about 30 years, Orleans has paid Genesee to administer youth bureau services for Orleans using Genesee County staff based in Batavia.

But that will end on Dec. 31. The Orleans County legislature said the two counties made a mutual decision to end the agreement and run their own youth bureaus. Orleans County Legislators said it wasn’t due to litigation between the two counties over whether a sewer main can be constructed on Route 63 in Orleans County, with treated sanitary sewer from the STAMP manufacturing site going into the Oak Orchard Creek.

The Orleans County Legislature last week voted to create a new part-time youth bureau administrator. Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrator officer, will serve as the temporary youth bureau administrator until the position is filled.

The Youth Bureau administers funding to counties made available by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services. The Youth Bureau contracts with agencies and municipalities to provide prevention, intervention and recreation programming.

Current Youth Bureau contract programs are Orleans Juvenile Adjustment Services, ARC Camp Rainbow, Hoag Library and the LIFE Program.

Youth recreation programs serve youth year round or during the summer months through drop-in programs and structured sports. The programs that receive state funds are Albion, Holley, Kendall and Medina recreation programs.