County hires 2 full-time investigators for group

ALBION – A multi-agency task force that targeted drug and major felony crimes in the county will no longer include officers from the Albion, Holley and Medina police departments.

The Orleans County Legislature announced the village personnel are out of the task force and two full-time investigators would be added at county expense.

The county had been paying Albion and Medina $50,000 annually towards the salary of a full-time officer and $25,000 to Holley for a part-time officer.

The villages, especially Albion and Medina, have long complained that the $50,000 did not come close to covering costs of a full-time officer for the salary, overtime and benefits.

“We heard it was costing the villages more than they were receiving,” said David Callard, Orleans County Legislature chairman. “By us taking on full-time employees it will eliminate the extra costs from the villages. They’ll have their own staffing at their own costs.”

The decision announced Wednesday caught the village leaders by surprise. However, they say village police will continue to fight drug and other crime in the community.

The decision comes about halfway through the village budget cycle, which runs June 1 to May 31.

Roland Nenni, Albion police chief, said his department now faces a $25,000 budget gap for the rest of the village fiscal year.

The Orleans County Major Felony Crimes Task Force has existed for about 20 years. Nenni said it has been controversial since its inception.

“The views of how it should run and by what funding has changed many times over the years, depending on who sat on the various boards,” he said.

The Task Force has included a supervising officer paid by the county, a member of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, and officers from the Albion, Holley and Medina police departments. An officer from the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement joined the Task Force this year as a full-time presence.

Callard said the two new full-time investigators and the ICE officer will more than offset the manpower from the villages – two full-time officers and a part-timer.

Nenni said he is optimistic the Task Force will remain effective and will work closely with the local village police.

“The impact of not having an officer from each agency assigned to unit is yet to be seen and only time will tell,” he said. “The Albion Police Department is committed to serve the residents of the Village of Albion in the protection of life and property and will continue to serve in all aspects of that protection.”

Medina Mayor Andrew Meier said the loss of county funding may not be a budget blow to Medina because that officer can return to work full-time with the Medina department. The big overtime costs for the officer working at the Task Force are now gone, Meier said.

“I am pleased the county has taken an even greater leadership role in combating major crime,” Meier said. “In particular, the illegal drug trade isn’t just a problem in the villages. It’s countywide, and we must address it collectively.”

The county is capping officer overtime at $10,000 each per year. The new officers are scheduled to start on Jan. 1.

Callard said the village mayors and police chiefs will continue to be welcome on an advisory board for the Task Force.

“We’re all working together for the same purpose,” Callard said. “We’re still going to work together cooperatively.”

Photos by Peggy Barringer

ALBION – Ellie the Elephant is one of many gifts donated in a Toy Challenge by local businesses.

The toys will be sorted and given to local families by Community Action of Orleans & Genesee.

The Toy Drive Committee includes, from left: Kris Hartwig, administrative assistant at S & B Whistler & Sons (Phinney Tool & Die) in Medina; Leslie Blake from Western New York Energy in Medina; Wendy Hinkley, volunteer; Carolyn Wagner, human resource manager at BMP in Medina; Marsha Rivers, executive director for Orleans County United Way; and Anni Skowneski, case manager for Community Action.

Many local businesses and organizations gave to the effort. The toys will be categorized by gender and age group. The volunteers have “Wish Lists” for the kids and they come in and pick out the toy to match or closely match the wish list items.

They bag the items and then the families come in to pick up the bag of toys. Kris Hartwig said it is good method for the families to be a part of the gift-giving process. They can see the children open up the gifts on Christmas morning.

“We are thankful for every donation received,” Skowneski said. “Every child deserves a present on Christmas.”

Toys are sorted and categorized in the basement of the First Baptist Church in Albion. Community Action will try to match the toys up with about 350 local families.

Orleans County was barely touched by the big snowstorm that hit the Buffalo area last month, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo has requested Orleans be included with other counties and be eligible for federal disaster aid.

The governor today said he has requested a major disaster declaration be issued for Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Orleans, St. Lawrence and Wyoming counties due to snowstorm and flooding that occurred from Nov. 18-26.

State and local governments had more than $46.6 million in response costs and infrastructure damage verified as a result of the storm, the governor said. A major disaster declaration for these counties is the next step in seeking financial assistance from the federal government once the $27.3 million damage threshold is met to allow local communities continue to recover.

“Once again, extreme weather came to New York and once again New Yorkers came together to help our neighbors in their time of need,” Cuomo said. “The state, working with communities from every corner of New York, mobilized an unprecedented response to the storm that struck Western New York and the North County. As we continue the recovery process, federal assistance is critical to helping these communities and their residents move beyond this storm and prepare for the rest of the upcoming winter season.”

A total of 14 fatalities and six injuries were attributed to the Lake Effect Snow event. More than 370 structures experienced roof damage from the weight of snow with an additional 38 structures completely destroyed.

In rural communities, barn collapses killed and injured livestock, including cattle and horses. Dairy farmers were forced to dump more than 250,000 pounds of milk. Damages to the agricultural industry alone are estimated at more than $15 million.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Wayne Hale, left, receives a special recognition citation from Orleans County Legislator John DeFilipps on Wednesday.

ALBION – Wayne Hale is retiring after a 31-year career with the county government, leading the Planning Department and also serving as tourism director and Marine Park manager.

He was praised by the Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday for serving in multiple roles. Hale postponed his retirement to stay on in a part-time role in recent years.

Hale stepped up to manage the Marine Park in the late 1990s. The site was largely underutilized but quickly had nearly all of its 80 boating slips rented and became a popular spot for concerts and picnickers.

He said he is most proud of the Marine Park and the $350,000 in grant funds directed to upgrade the site. (Another state grant is expected to be announced for the park today.)

The county also has worked to improve public fishing access and promote local events and attractions, Hale said.

Hale thanked the county legislators and chief administrative officers for their support over the years. He also praised Jim Bensley, the county’s senior planner for 25 years, and Mike Waterhouse, the sportsfishing tourism coordinator.

Hale the past two years took on a leadership role for the southshore lake counties, leading the effort to develop a dredging plan for about 20 harbors.

Hale’s willingness to delay his retirement gave the county a chance to transition to a new approach for tourism services. Waterhouse will continue as sportsfishing coordinator at a cost not to exceed $19,070 in 2015.

The county hired Lynne Menz of Kent for tourism coordination services at a cost not to exceed $13,000 for 2015. She will focus on the non-fishing side of tourism, working with businesses and organizations. She already had been working with Hale on the county’s tourism web site.

She is active with the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association and the Medina Sandstone Society.

The county also approved an agreement with Corporate Communications, Inc. in Rochester for $12,000 for 2015. The company will administer state tourism dollars through the I Love NY program and also work with the tourism web site.

Photo by Tom Rivers – From left: Dale Banker, Orleans County Emergency Management Office director; John DeYoung of the Clarendon Fire Company; Bob Freida, Clarendon fire chief; Rocky Sidari, Albion fire chief, Stan Farone, Albion firefighter; County Legislator Lynne Johnson, Jason Watts, Shelby fire chief; Joe Morlino, captain with Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Company; and County Legislator Ken DeRoller.

The Orleans County Legislature commended volunteer firefighters who went to the Buffalo area after a monster snowstorm hit beginning Nov. 18.

In all, 60 firefighters from the county would serve at least a shift in the Buffalo area, with many of those volunteers staying for several days.

“Our volunteers stood ready and were available to help our neighbors,” County Legislator Lynne Johnson said today during the Legislature meeting.

Firefighters went from the following fire departments: Albion, Barre, Carlton, Clarendon, East Shelby, Fancher-Hulberton-Murray, Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville, Ridgeway and Shelby. Some of those departments brought along fire trucks and off-track four-wheelers.

Dale Banker, the county emergency management director, coordinated the efforts from the local firefighters with Erie County fire departments that needed help.

Banker said the 60 firefighters collectively gave about 3,000 hours in Erie County.

“Everybody did a great job,” he said.

Orleans has seen growth in sales tax, but that could stop with cheaper gas

Photo by Tom Rivers – The gas prices are getting close to $3 at the Crosby’s gas station at the corner of routes 98 and 104 in the Town of Gaines. This photo was taken Monday evening.

Consumers are getting relief at the gas pump with prices locally falling near $3 per gallon, down from prices that were closer to $4 in the spring.

Prices nationally on average have dropped below $3 for the first time since 2010. The falling gas prices could cut into the sales tax revenues for the state and county governments.

Gas is taxed 8 cents per $1 with the state and county splitting that for 4 cents each. Every time someone fills up, a few dollars is typically generated in sales tax.

But a smaller gas bill means less in sales tax.

Orleans County officials opted not to forecast higher sales tax revenues in 2015, even though the county is currently 5.4 percent ahead of the 2013 pace.

“We’re seeing gas prices drop dramatically and we could see our revenues drop dramatically as well,” Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, said during a county budget hearing last week.

The county has budgeted $13,785,000 in sales tax revenues for 2015, the same as in 2014. In addition, another $1,366,671 from the local share goes to towns and villages in the county.

Orleans in 2013 was about $363,000 below its sales tax budget. This year, through the first nine months, it’s up by $601,482 (from $11,111,414 to $11,712,897) for the first three quarters of the year, according to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

The percentage growth in Orleans is the ninth highest of 57 counties in the state. State-wide, sales tax receipts are up 2.7 percent for the nine months, compared to 2013.

Sales tax is important for the local and state governments because it helps offset the need for other revenue, including higher property taxes. If the sales tax revenues fall, Orleans might have to either raise taxes or dip into its reserves to maintain existing services.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Shelby Volunteer Fire Company firefighters Scott Petry, left, and Jeff Arnett were successful getting The Multi-Force Forcible Entry Door open during a training exercise this afternoon at the Orleans County Fire Training Center.

Local businesses pooled their money to buy the door for $6,000 from Firehouse Innovations Corp. Before the county had the door in its training arsenal, firefighters used a rusty old door at the Fire Training Center, or they hoped to use a house that would soon to be taken down.

It wasn’t an ideal scenario because firefighters didn’t have doors that could take the repeated demands for training exercises, said Jerry Lewis, a state certified training instructor.

Firefighters now have a door that can take all kinds of hits, as firefighters practice getting a locked door open quickly.

“It’s made to take a beating,” said Jeff Lyons of Lyons Collision in Medina, which donated for the training door. “They said they want it to last.”

Jeff Arnett, left, and Scott Petry work together trying to get the door to open.

Many firefighters have already trained on the new equipment, which actually has two doors. Lewis said firefighters are learning nine different techniques for getting doors open. The equipment can be set up as inward-opening doors, outward-opening doors, left-hand and right-hand swinging door, and with metal or wood jambs. Firefighters can practice using Halligan and flat head axe or maul. A Hydra Ram and rabbit tool can also be used.

“Forcible entry is hard to teach unless you have something that can take the repetition,” Lewis said. “We’re trying to provide the most realistic training you can get so when they get out on an emergency they can perform their jobs.”

The faster firefighters can gain access to a building, the quicker they can douse flames.

The door will also be available to the SWAT team in Orleans County.

Lyons donated to the door and also secured donations from the following businesses: David Dunn Salvage in Middleport, Cruisin Auto Parts in Middleport, Zacher Construction in Medina, Brazzell Automotive in Medina, Medina Lumber & Hardware, Medina Cold Storage, Rudy’s in Medina, Growmark in Knowlesville, Panek Farms in Albion, Matt C.M. Contracting in Medina, Waters Autobody in Albion, and Orleans Ford in Medina.

Firefighters and two of the businesses that donated to the forcible entry door pose for a picture today. The group includes, from left: Dale Banker, emergency management director; Jerry Lewis, fire instructor; Shelby firefighter Jeff Arnett: Shelby firefighter Scott Petry: Jeff Lyons of Lyons Collision; and Cory Vercruysse, general manager for Cruisin Auto Parts and a driver for David Dunn Salvage.

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess

ALBION – The holiday season is upon us and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office wants everyone to remember the basics for maintaining your safety while shopping and at home:

Thieves look forward to the holidays as much as you do. When outside of malls or shopping plazas, stay in well lit areas. Do not leave valuables in open view inside your car. Lock them in the trunk or cover them in an unobtrusive way. If you place purchases in the car with the intention of doing some additional shopping, take time to move your vehicle to another location. You never know when thieves are watching.

Don’t flash large amounts of cash when making purchases. Carry your purse or shoulder bag close to your body, not dangling by long straps. Carry your wallet in an inside pocket of your coat or front pants pocket. Carry only the credit card(s) you intend to use. Leave the others at home.

Always lock your vehicle and your house. Leave lights turned on both inside and outside your residence after dark. Most burglars prefer to practice their craft under cover of darkness. If you plan on being away from your home for an extended period of time, put lights and the TV on timers. Also make arrangements for someone to pick-up your mail and newspapers. An overstuffed mailbox or newspapers piled up on the porch is a sure sign that no one is at home.

Opportunity is the key ingredient to a criminal’s success. By following these basic safety and prevention tips, you can significantly reduce your chances of becoming a victim. The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office joins with other law enforcement agencies in wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Members of the Monroe County Bomb Squad and Albion police officer David Mogle head into a house on West Park Street on Nov. 4 to remove a live grenade from the World War II era.

Orleans Hub broke the 500,000-mark for page views for the third straight month in November. Overall, we had 501,550 pageviews in November for a daily average of 16,718.

We also averaged 5,440 daily unique visitors, the third straight month we were over 5,000 for a daily average.

We were down a little from the record traffic in October, when we had a daily average of 5,640 unique visitors, and a daily page view average of 17,786. (The November traffic was about double from a year ago.)

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Kelsee Soule and the Albion girls volleyball team captured a Sectional title.

We were in between fall and winter sports seasons for much of November. Mike and Cheryl Wertman captured the playoff action for the local teams. Four teams earned Sectional titles including: Albion girls volleyball, Kendall girls soccer, the Barker field hockey and the Barker boys cross country teams.

Photo by Tom Rivers – A fire on Nov. 7 destroyed the Carlton home owned by Tim and Terry Keller.

The top five articles for the month (for “clicks”) include:

1. Firefighters battle to put out blaze in Carlton

2. Former tavern being transformed to high-end apartments, restaurant

3. Miller is sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison

4. Albion native dies in plane crash in Bahamas

5. Bomb Squad removes WWII-era grenade from Albion house

Winners to be recognized at Civil War Encampment in Medina

Press Release, GCC

BATAVIA – Organizers of the annual Civil War Encampment at Genesee Community College’s Medina Campus Center seek to once again recognize the efforts of dedicated Orleans County citizens who work hard to preserve the county’s history.

Nominations are being accepted through Feb. 15, 2015 for the second annual Heritage Heroes Awards.

Nominees for Heritage Heroes Awards can be any age but posthumous nominations will not be accepted. History professionals and GCC employees are also not eligible for the award, nor are those who serve on the awards selection committees. All nominees must be individual Orleans County residents, and cannot be nominated as a group.

Orleans Hub file photo – The following were recognized as Heritage Heroes last April at GCC during the Civil War Encampment, from left: Bill Lattin, Matthew Ballard, Chris Busch, Robert Waters (also accepting for Craig Lacey), and Clarendon Town Historian Melissa Ierlan (accepting on behalf of Erin Anheier).

Five winners were honored last year including Medina Sandstone Society founder Robert Waters, co-director of the Cobblestone Society Museum Matthew Ballard, Medina Historical Society vice president Craig Lacy, Medina village planning board member Chris Busch, Clarendon preservationist Erin Anheier and Bill Lattin received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Because nominations are not retained for future consideration, nominees not selected to receive awards last year are encouraged to submit nominations again.

“Residents of Orleans County take great pride in their heritage,” said Jim Simon, Associate Dean of GCC’s Orleans County Campus Centers in Medina and Albion. “We want to recognize the time and investment of individuals who are tireless advocates for local history.”

To nominate someone for the Heritage Heroes Awards, write up a statement describing the person’s contributions, projects and community affiliations. Include his/her name (anonymous nominations will not be accepted), address, phone number and email address. The more in-depth the detail provided in the nomination, the stronger the submission. Submit the nomination to:

Genesee Community College
ATTENTION: Heritage Heroes Committee
11470 Maple Ridge Rd.
Medina, NY 14103-9675

Nominations may also be emailed to Jim Simon at jsimon@genesee.edu. Please write Heritage Heroes Nomination in the subject line.

A screening committee made up of community members, history professionals and GCC students will review the nominations and select finalists. From those finalists, a committee including GCC Associate Dean Jim Simon, Assistant Professor and Encampment Coordinator Derek Maxfield and Orleans Hub Editor Tom Rivers will choose the Heritage Heroes.

“We are very pleased to recognize those whose efforts often go unnoticed,” said Maxfield. “They make many personal sacrifices in order to preserve history for future generations.”

The Heritage Heroes will be recognized during a ceremony at the annual Civil War Encampment at Genesee Community College in Medina in April 2015.

ALBION – Orleans County legislators will finally get a raise in 2015, although the pay is still less than they were getting in 2008.

Legislators have been paid $10,948 annually from 2009 to 2014 with the chairman getting $16,424 a year.

The new budget approved on Monday provides 2 percent raises with $11,167 for legislators and $16,752 for the chairman. The budget for the first time gives the vice chairman additional pay for serving in that role. The vice chairman will be paid $12,667 in 2015, a $1,500 boost over regular legislator pay.

The Legislature voted to cut its pay during lean budget times after 2008, when the county was struggling with escalating Medicaid costs.

In 2008, the chairman was paid $16,932 with the six other legislators at $11,287 each.

The Legislature, in a special meeting on Monday following a budget hearing, also set the rates for garbage pickup at $190 per household with another $2 added on for an administrative fee.

The Legislature also named the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle as a legal newspaper for publishing notice of in rem foreclosure proceedings. The county will continue to use The Daily News of Batavia for legals. The Legislature voted to add the D & C after The Journal-Register in Medina went out of business in May.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A reindeer and Christmas tree were added to the Courthouse lawn today thanks to the efforts of the Orleans County Highway Department and Village of Albion Department of Public Works.

There also is a nearly full moon out tonight.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Michael Paduchak has been a steady and guiding presence for nearly three decades at the Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District.

He is pictured around noon today with cupcakes and a candle for his 89th birthday. He is joined by Ed Morgan (left) the Soil and Water board chairman, and Dennis Kirby, manager of Soil and Water.

Paduchak is a former Kendall town supervisor and member of the former Orleans County Board of Supervisors. He has been well-connected in the county. He also was a fruit farmer until about a year ago.

He brought those farming and local government ties to Soil and Water, including a tenure as the board’s chairman. Today he attended his final meeting with the organization.

Paduchak turned 89 on Monday. He appreciated the opportunity to serve on the board, and attended many regional and state association meetings. He also supported the agency’s efforts in recent years to bring in grants for farmers to utilize environmentally friendly practices.

“We always valued his input,” said Ed Morgan, the board’s current chairman. “He’s an asset and he still contributes. I like and I respect him. He has a lot of wisdom.”

Paduchak said he is grateful for a full life after several narrow scrapes with death during World War II while fighting in France and Germany with the Army.

“I had a guardian angel along the way,” Paduchak said.

He said Soil and Water has benefitted from many dedicated staff members through the years.

“The personnel has been good to carry out our wishes,” he said.

Photo by Tom Rivers – 4-H members walk miniature horses and livestock in Saturday’s Parade of Lights in Medina.

ALBION – Orleans County legislators will have a public hearing at 7 p.m. today on a proposed $65 million county budget. The spending plan proposes a cut in the tax rate, from $10.11 to $9.89 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The hearing will be at the county courthouse with a vote from the Legislature to follow at the legislative chambers next door at the County Clerks Building.

The budget doesn’t include a full year of the nursing home, which is expected to be sold early in 2015. Without the nursing home, the county expects to be spared a $1.5 million subsidy that was projected for 2015.

The county is using some of those savings to tackle bridge projects, and building improvements. It also is boosting allocations to some agencies. However, not all agencies are satisfied with the county offering.

The share to the Cornell Cooperative Extension is proposed to increase from $219,150 to $225,000. That $5,850 is less of an increase than what the county has proposed giving the Orleans County Economic Development Agency (from $150,000 to $170,000) and the Soil and Water Conservation District (from $57,750 to $75,000).

The Extension would like to get at least a $15,000 boost. That would allow the organization to bring back a coordinator for the Master Gardener program. That position was eliminated about a year ago. If the county can boost the Extension to at least $240,000, a part-time position would be added to serve the master gardeners and also work with a food preservation program, said Jennifer Wajester, the Extension executive director.

“We’re at the point where we can’t cut anymore,” she said. “We would like to be at core staff level. We believe we’ve met their (legislators’) expectations. We really need that $15,000 so we can build the consumer/horticultural program.”

The county set aside $243,500 for Extension in 2010 and then approved cuts to the agency when the county was struggling with the costs of the nursing home as well as other programs.

Extension is working towards a stronger presence in the community. The 4-H program has grown from about 300 kids a year ago to more than 350 now, plus another 65 in a club program at Kendall Central School.

Wajester and Extension officials have been trying to rally support for the agency through emails, asking supporters to press legislators for a bigger funding increase.

The four public libraries also sought an increase from $10,000 to $42,883 or $1 per county resident. But legislators aren’t inclined to raise the funding, saying libraries can already generate tax dollars on their own.

Libraries are tied to tax cap just like the county. The $1 per resident “is pretty standard” in other counties, said Emily Cebula, director of the Yates Community Library.

Library leaders met with legislators in October to state their case for more funding. Cebula said her library would use an increase to help pay for more books and other materials.

“It seems like a minimal place to start for supporting a public library,” Cebula said.

The county budget also proposes increases for the Genesee-Orleans Regional Council on the Arts from $1,000 to $3,000, and the Sportsmen Federation from $500 to $1,000.

The Cobblestone Museum remains out of the budget, and that puzzles Mary Anne Braunbach, the museum’s president. Museum leaders gave legislators tours of the complex, a National Historic Landmark, in October and co-director Matt Ballard also addressed the Legislature in October.

David Callard, the Legislature chairman, said he is sympathetic to the museum, but he said the group hasn’t submitted a formal request for funding.

Braunbach is out of town today and will miss the public hearing. She thought the museum had made its case for being in the county budget.

Callard said legislators are eyeing bigger increases to Soil and Water and the Economic Development Agency because both have a big role in supporting businesses, whether agriculture or industry, which can lead to more jobs in the county.

“We don’t have the wherewithal to do everything for everybody,” he said.

The county has directed contingency funds to some agencies, including Extension and the Cobblestone Musuem. The county last year approved $11,500 at year end from contingency. That included $4,000 to GO Art!, $2,500 to the Extension, $2,000 for Soil and Water, $2,000 to the Sportmen’s Federation and $1,000 to the Cobblestone Museum.

Callard said the county could continue to direct contingency funds at the end of the year to agencies, if the money is there. That makes it unpredictable for the agency leaders, who are working on their own budgets for 2015.

ALBION – Orleans County property owners will get a break in their county taxes in 2015 after the Legislature unanimously approved a $65,012,266 budget this evening.

The budget cuts taxes by 1.5 percent and reduces the tax rate from $10.11 to $9.89 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The budget also includes a debt payment on an $8 million bond for a series of bridge, culvert and county building projects in the next three years. That payment will be covered from $260,000 in gambling money approved by the state.

“It’s been a tough five years the county has gone through,” Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, said at a budget hearing. “We can finally invest back in infrastructure.”

The county has been burdened in recent years with the rising costs of Medicaid ($8.4 million of the county budget in 2015) and mounting deficits with the county-owned nursing home. The growth of Medicaid for counties has been capped and the nursing home will soon be sold after Jan. 1. That eliminates some of the big increases for the county budget.

The nursing home sale will take about 100 full-time workers and another 50 part-timers off the county payroll. The change to private ownership will spare the county a projected $1.5 million taxpayer subsidy in 2015, Nesbitt said.

He thanked department heads for running tight operations in recent years, with fewer employees and delayed equipment upgrades.

David Callard, the Legislature chairman, said the county has weathered the storm and now is in a better position to tackle infrastructure and other projects.

He, too, praised the county department heads for their efforts to control costs and provide needed services.

“We’re very fortunate and grateful to have people as outstanding as you,” Callard said after the hearing when the county voted to pass the budget.

The budget was unchanged from the tentative budget presented by Nesbitt on Nov. 12. Only one resident besides the county officials spoke at the public hearing.

Charles Pettit, a Ridgeway farmer and member of the Cornell Cooperative Extension board of directors, thanked the group for its funding for the agency.

The Legislature gave the Cornell Cooperative Extension an increase from $219,150 to $225,000. The Extension wanted more to bring back a part-time master gardener coordinator who would work in food preservation.

“You folks don’t have a big enough pile of money to work with and we don’t have a big enough pile of money to work with,” Pettit said during the hearing.

He also thanked the county for committing to replace six bridges in the next three years. He worries about the state-owned canal bridges. Many have weight restrictions that keep farm equipment and emergency vehicles from using them.

“If we don’t do something with them soon we’re in trouble,” Pettit said.

While the budget allows the county to increase services and projects, Nesbitt said the state-mandated programs continue to strain the county budget. Nine mandated programs represent 105 percent of the county’s $16,209,165 tax levy. That eats up some of the county’s sales tax revenue as well.

To make a significant dent in local county taxes, the state will need to fund its own programs, and stop consuming so many county dollars, Nesbitt said.

Even with the state mandates, the 2015 budget offers lots of good news for residents, Nesbitt said.

“It’s great to come here and say we’re cutting taxes and improving services, he said.