County revenues increase 9.3 percent or by $2.2 million

ALBION – Sales tax revenues for Orleans County jumped 9.3 percent in 2025 or nearly $2.2 million from $23.42 million in 2024 to $25.59 million in 2025.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has a report showing the sales tax revenues for the counties in 2025. Orleans had one of the strongest growths in the state.

The county has seen steady growth in sales tax in recent years. It has now gone up nearly $8 million from the $17.7 in 2019 to the $25.6 million last year.

Orleans County sales tax revenues

• $25.6 million in 2025
• $23.4 million in 2024
• $23.1 million in 2023
• $22.5 million in 2022
• $21.8 million in 2021
• $19.4 million in 2020
• $17.7 million in 2019

In Orleans County, nearly all of the local sales tax generated stays with the county government. The 10 towns and four villages collectively have remained at $1,366,671, the same amount they have received since 2001. The town and village share amounts to 5.3 percent of the $25.6 million total.

Among counties, sales tax revenue increased 4.0 percent in 2025, with 52 of 57 counties seeing an increase. Among the rural GLOW counties, Wyoming and Livingston both went down slightly.

GLOW counties

• Genesee – $55.81 million in 2024 to $59.91 million in 2025, 7.4 percent increase
• Livingston – $48.13 million in 2024 to $47.99 million in 2025, 0.3 percent decrease
• Orleans – $23.42 million in 2024 to $25.59 million in 2025, 9.3 percent increase
• Wyoming – $26.82 million in 2024 to $26.77 million in 2025, 0.2 percent decrease

Chenango County saw the biggest increase at 11.8 percent, followed by Yates (11 percent), Hamilton (10.9 percent) and Delaware (10.7 percent).

Sullivan County had the steepest decline at 5.2 percent, followed by Schoharie (3.9 percent) and St. Lawrence (3.0 percent).

State-wide sales tax growth was up 3.9 percent, up significantly from the 0.6 percent in 2024 and higher than the average pre-pandemic growth rate (3.0 percent),  the state comptroller’s office stated in its report.

New York City accounts for about half of the state-wide sales tax revenue. NYC saw a 5.0 percent increase in sales tax revenue, totaling $10.9 billion, which was up by $521 million.

File photo by Tom Rivers: Holli Nenni announced she is retiring in May after 38 years with the Orleans County DSS.

ALBION – A long-time employee in the Orleans County Department of Social Services will be retiring on May 26.

Holli Nenni of Albion has worked 28 years with DSS, including the past five years as DSS commissioner. Prior to that she was the deputy DSS commissioner the past 11 years.

Nenni first worked as a caseworker for 12 years before being promoted child support coordinator and then director of temporary assistance.

She has been leading a department with 70 employees. 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 has said.

ALBION – The replacement of the Eagle Harbor Road bridge in the Town of Barre is moving forward.

The County Legislature on Tuesday accepted a bid from Nardozzi Paving & Construction of Geneva for $979,000. This project is 100 percent reimbursable and won’t need any local dollars, county legislators said.

The Legislature also approved a bid for $1,077,947 for preventive maintenance on bridges in Kent. Keeler Construction in Barre submitted the low bid for a project that is 95 percent reimbursable.

Press Release, Orleans County Board of Elections

ALBION – The Orleans County Board of Elections (BOE) reminds all registered voters that Saturday, February 14, is the deadline to change your party enrollment before the 2026 Primary Election on June 23.

Primary elections are a way for political parties to choose who will be their candidates on the General Election ballot in November. New York State has closed primaries, meaning that to vote in a party’s primary election, you must be an enrolled member of that party on or before Feb. 14.

Enrollment requests must be received by the BOE no later than Feb. 14 to be effective for the June Primary Election. Any enrollment changes received after the deadline will take effect June 30.

The Orleans County Board of Elections will be open Saturday, Feb. 14, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., to receive any last-minute enrollment changes.

Paper forms are available at your local post office, municipal building, or over the counter at the BOE. Call the BOE at 585-589-3274 if you need a form mailed to you or have any other questions.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Coleen Pahura is shown outside her office this morning at 3 South Main St. in Albion, the lower level of the County Clerks’ Building. She was appointed on Tuesday by the County Legislature to be the county’s real property director, overseeing the Real Property Tax Services Department.

ALBION – Coleen Pahura has worked 25 years for the Real Property Tax Services Department, starting as a clerk and then as an assessor.

She now is the department’s director following an appointment on Tuesday by the Orleans County Legislature. She succeeds Dawn Allen, who retired after 19 years in the position.

Pahura admits she didn’t grow up aspiring to be an assessor or work in the Real Property Tax Services Department. In fact, she doubts that is a career goal for anyone before entering the workplace.

She had worked seven years in the City of Rochester in accounting when she took the Civil Service Exam 25 years ago. She wanted a job closer to home in Albion.

Pahura worked six years as a senior clerk in Real Property. Bob Harrold was the director at the time. When Dawn Allen took over 19 years ago, she left a job as assessor for the towns of Albion and Gaines.

Those two towns contracted with the county for assessing services, and Pahura took on tat job while working with the Real Property Tax Services Department.

She is ready for a new challenge after being an assessor for nearly two decades. Alexis Penna-Swan will be taking over Pahura’s previous job as assessor for Albion and Gaines. (Dawn Allen, while retired, is going to continue to work part-time as the Barre town assessor.)

The Real Property Tax Services Department maintains the tax maps in the county and has over 20,000 tax bills printed each year.

The office also prints out assessment and tax rolls, assists assessors, trains members of the Board of Assessment Review, and also assists in the enforcement of unpaid taxes.

Pahura’s appointment is for six years through Sept. 30, 2032.

Honoree to be recognized on ‘Older New Yorker’s Day’ in May

Press Release, Orleans County Office for the Aging

ALBION – The Orleans County Office of the Aging (OFA) is currently accepting nominations to honor an older resident who has made outstanding contributions to our community through their volunteer work.

The honoree will be part the statewide Older New Yorker’s Day of Recognition which will be held this May.

“The Orleans County OFA is thankful that we have so many older adults who are committed to service and to helping others,” said Melissa Blanar, director of Orleans County OFA.  “This statewide program is a chance to celebrate their talents and achievements and say thank you for their efforts. I hope we receive several nominations.”

Blanar said the Office for the Aging Advisory Council will select the awardee, who will be also be recognized locally in addition to the state event. Nominees must be older adults residing in Orleans County who have achieved something extraordinary or performed exceptional service to the community since the age of 60.

To nominate someone for this award, there is a short application form that can be found by clicking here.

Nomination forms should then be sent to: Melissa Blanar, Director, Orleans County Office for the Aging, 14016 Route 31 W., Albion, NY 14411, or emailed to Melissa.Blanar@orleanscountyny.gov.

Nominations are due by Feb. 15.  Please call OFA at 585-589-3191 if you have any questions.

Orleans County Legislature, Tonawanda Nation want DEC to be lead agency for environmental reviews

ALABAMA – An open house at the Alabama Fire Hall for the proposed data center at STAMP has been cancelled for today and will be rescheduled.

The meeting was focused on a proposal from STREAM US Data Centers. That company is planning a sprawling complex at the Western New York Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing (STAMP), a manufacturing park being developed by the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

STREAM’s plan for “Project Double Reed” envisions three structures more than 100 feet tall, occupying more than 2.2 million square feet and using more than 500 megawatts of electricity per year.

Orleans Legislature says GCEDC would be biased in assessing environmental impacts

The Orleans County Legislature on Jan. 16 sent a letter to Amanda Lefton, commissioner of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, asking the DEC to be lead agency for reviewing the environmental impacts of the proposed project.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center wants to be the lead agency and conduct the SEQRA (State Environmental Quality Review Act).

“Under GCEDC’s stewardship, STAMP has been nothing more than a series of unfulfilled promises, questionable allocation of resources and a series of environmental pollution events so significant that this Agency and the Federal government revoked its permits,” Lynne Johnson, Legislature chairwoman, wrote to the DEC commissioner.

Johnson said the GCEDC “biased position” will compromise its objectivity in a SEQRA review where the lead agency needs to compile data and facts and evaluate them.

“The only way GCEDC can justify the fact that it has spent almost $500 million of taxpayer dollars is to jump start a project – any project – regardless of its environmental impact,” Johnson states in her letter.

While there is limited information currently available about the data center, Johnson said the project “will likely have significant inter-county and regional impacts, including on air quality, energy usage, water usage, and waste water disposal that are ill-suited for a single county IDA to oversee as part of the SEQRA review.”

Tonawanda Seneca Nation calls project: ‘terrible threat to our people, our Territory, and future generations’

Chief Roger Hill of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation has also asked the DEC to be the lead agency in the environmental impact review. In a letter Dec. 15, 2025, to Commissioner Lefton he said the proposal for the data center, doubling its size from an earlier submission by Stream U.S. Data Centers “threatens far greater harms to the Nation and the surrounding environment than the earlier, discredited application.”

Hill said the latest proposal will be much closer to the Nation’s Big Woods.

“As we review the details of this terrible threat to our people, our Territory, and future generations, the Nation reiterates the call we made to you when we met in November: DEC must take lead agency status for SEQR review of this hulking data center facility,” Hill wrote. “GCEDC cannot be entrusted with this vital role.”

Press Release, Orleans County DMV

ALBION – The Orleans County Department of Motor Vehicles – along with all DMV offices in the state – will be undergoing a large-scale system upgrade next month that will require the office to be closed and potentially alter our business hours, according to County Clerk Nadine Hanlon.

In February, the New York State DMV is implementing the initial phase of a multi-year project to replace and modernize the aging technology systems. To bring the first part of the new system online, the state is ceasing all DMV operations, including online and phone systems at 2 p.m. on Friday, February 13.

 Hanlon said in order to implement the changeover, the Orleans County DMV will close at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, February 13. Customers who are in line by 12:30 p.m. will be served. However, all DMV operations cease at 2 p.m.  The office will remain closed on Presidents Day, Monday February 16 and Tuesday, February 17.

The state DMV’s implementation timeline calls for all offices to be operational and open for customer transactions beginning Wednesday, February 18.  Orleans County anticipates opening at 8:30 a.m. on that day provided the state gives the go-ahead. Any changes to this schedule will be posted on the county website at www.orleanscountyny.gov, the Orleans County Facebook page and shared with local media outlets.

“February tends to be a slower time of year for DMV offices across the state so this is the best time to implement the system but we understand this can still be an inconvenience for residents,” Hanlon said.  “That is why we are letting people know now, so they can plan accordingly.”

During this time, the state DMV will migrate about 30 million records to the new system and complete the transition to bring the first phase of the upgrade online. Again, no DMV transactions will be able to be completed during this period, including through the state DMV website, and no one will be available to answer phones.

“Our DMV staff have been diligently working through the mandatory training, however, transitioning to and fully understanding a new system takes time,” said Hanlon.  “We remain committed to providing efficient and accurate service and we appreciate the public’s understanding during this adjustment period.”

About the DMV system upgrade

New York State DMV has contracted with software company FAST Enterprises, LLC, which has implemented similar systems in more than 20 other states, to help NYS DMV modernize its technology platforms and service delivery in two major stages over the next two years. The new technology will replace and consolidate a significant portion of DMV’s legacy technology, some of which are over 50 years old. The goal of this initiative is to make the DMV more secure, stable, and agile and to provide DMV customers with more efficient, secure, and convenient services.

Chart information from NYS Department of Labor. October’s date was combined with November’s due to federal government shutdown in October.

The unemployment rate in Orleans County was at 4.1 percent in November, according to the New York State Department of Labor.

The rate started at 5.1 percent in January and generally decreased until June at 3.3 percent and was then up and down through November. December’s data hasn’t been released yet.

The 4.1 percent is close to neighboring counties:

• Orleans, 4.1 percent
• Genesee, 3.4 percent
• Wyoming, 3.8 percent
• Livingston, 3.6 percent
• Monroe, 3.9 percent
• Niagara, 4.4 percent
• Erie, 4.0 percent

Compared to a year earlier n November 2024, Orleans County has 400 more people working – 17,400 in November 2025 versus 17,000 in November 2024. The unemployed is up by 100 from 600 to 700. The unemployment rate increased by 0.7 percent from 3.4 to 4.1 percent.

That 0.7 increase is among highest in state. Six other counties went up by 0.7 percent: Niagara (from 3.7 to 4.4 percent), Chautauqua (3.8 to 4.5 percent), Chenango (3.0 to 3.7 percent), Greene (3.3 to 4.0 percent), Otsego (3.6 to 4.3 percent) and Greene (3.3 to 4.0).

There were two counties at a 0.8 percent increase: Lewis (from 3.3 to 4.1 percent) and Yates (from 2.9 to 3.7 percent).

Delaware County saw the highest at 0.9 percent (3.4 to 4.3 percent). There are 62 counties in the state.

Press Release, Orleans County Legislature

ALBION – Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson said the county supports the new tax exemption for veterans signed into law by Governor Hochul this past December.  The new law exempts qualifying veterans with a 100 percent service-connected disability from local property taxes.

“The Orleans County Legislature is fully supportive of legislation that provides benefits like this exemption to those who made tremendous sacrifices for our country,” said Johnson.  “Like other counties across the state, we are waiting for guidance from the state over implementation, as things seem to be in flux.  But I want to stress is that, to the extent we have any say over this, we will be fighting for our veterans.”

Nikolas Mroz, Director of the county’s Veteran Service Agency, said his team has been in regular contact with state officials and is trying to get clarification for the many veterans who have already called his office.

“We do know that the date for this exemption to be included in the tax roll is October 1 which means it would take effect for 2027 for those who qualify,” said Mroz.  “There are around 120 vets in Orleans County who have a 100 percent disability rating and receive the current tax exemption, and based on the criteria in this new law, they may or may not qualify for the new exemption. But this situation is fluid and there could be changes.”

Mroz encouraged any veterans with questions to call his office at 585-589-5219.