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.

ALBION – The 911 dispatch center for Orleans County will get a $325,000 overhaul with a new CAD/RMS system.

Sheriff Bourke

The County Legislature on Tuesday approved a contract with EM Systems Inc. of Buffalo for the computer-aided design technology and also a new record management system that will allow the village police departments and the Sheriff’s Office to have access to each other’s records while officers are in the field. The RMS allows law enforcement personnel to enter and retrieve data.

“This will create a master database of files in Orleans County,” said Sheriff Chris Bourke.

The dispatch center handles emergency calls for fire departments, police agencies, animal control and other issues.

County officials also received bids on the new CAD/RMS technology, and the other vendors bid much more than EM Systems. Bourke said one vendor sought $800,000 and the other was about $1 million.

He said it will take a year to 18 months to transfer records and get the new system fully integrated.

“We went through an exhaustive process,” Bourke said about the CAD/RMS upgrades. “We looked at demo after demo.”

A contingent from the county also spent a half day in Wyoming County to see the dispatch center with EM Systems.

The State Police used to pay for a record management system for the dispatch, but the State Police is going to a different RMS that won’t be in sync with law enforcement in smaller counties, Bourke said. The state also no longer will be providing money to the smaller counties for an RMS system.

Orleans is asking the Albion, Holley and Medina police departments to each contribute $3,000 annually towards the maintenance costs of the new system. The county is paying for the new system, but would like some assistance from the three police departments with the annual maintenance expense, Bourke said.

ALBION – A committee that includes leaders from village, town and the county governments have begun meeting to look for more ways to share services and reduce costs of local government.

The Orleans County Shared Services Committee met for the first time on Dec. 7. The group includes County Legislature chairman, the town supervisors from the 10 towns, and the four village mayors.

The group in the initial meeting put out some ideas to potentially explore, including code enforcement, assessing and the fire service.

Right now there isn’t a uniform approach for code enforcement across the county. Some towns also are concerned about having an assessor with the extensive training required for the position.

The town and village leaders expressed their concern about the not-too-distant future for the fire service, whether there will be enough volunteers to respond to emergencies and other calls.

“We are having a very organic conversation regarding shared services,” said Jack Welch, the county chief administrative officer who is working with the committee. “Shared services cannot be forced down upon the towns and villages. This process requires willing partners to be creative in changing the means of a service to allow for a same or similar end product of a service for our residents.”

County Legislator Skip Draper said one possibility in looking at the fire service may be to reconsider how the battalions are structured. Right now the western battalion is the west end of the county and includes fire companies that serve the towns of Yates, Ridgeway and Shelby, and villages of Lyndonville and Medina. The central battalion includes Carlton, Gaines, Albion and Barre, and the eastern battalion is Clarendon, Murray/Holley and Kendall.

Draper said it may make more sense to group the battalions by northern, central and southern parts of the county. The northern towns are all along Lake Ontario and fire departments could perhaps share equipment and training with water rescues. The central area from west to east include the larger villages of Medina, Albion and Holley, which tend to be more densely populated with larger and taller buildings, Draper said. There could be opportunities to share equipment and resources among those communities.

The southern part of the county – Shelby, Barre and Clarendon – tends to be the most rural with farmland.

The local leaders say they are concerned about enough personnel for the departments. They are interested in seeing if the local BOCES and schools, as well as community colleges, can help train or at least steer students to service with the fire departments.

“We are in the infancy stage in this process of developing a list of potential areas of shared services,” Welch said. “We left the meeting asking for the participants to follow up on some of their ideas and to bring back more possibilities of sharing services to the next meeting early in 2024.”

Orleans County Tourism Department

KNOWLESVILLE – With an influx of visitors expected for the total eclipse on April 8, the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds will be hosting several events from April 5-8 and making at least 50 camping sites available with RV hook-ups.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension is teaming with the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, the Albion Merchants Association and Orleans County Tourism Department for the events. The path of totality will pass through Western New York and Orleans County with the duration of the totality about four minutes beginning at approximately 3:18 p.m. on April 8, a Monday. The partial eclipse starts at 2:04 p.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m.

“People are coming from all over to Orleans County to see it,” said Robert Batt, the Extension executive director.

The events at the fairgrounds include:

• April 5 (Friday) – Camp sites available. Visitors will receive Orleans County gift bag with discounts to local businesses.
• April 6 (Saturday) – Chamber Home, Garden & Outdoor Show with food vendors and kids’ activities, and a chicken barbecue by Elks. The day is capped off with fireworks at Fairgrounds at 8 p.m.
• April 7 (Sunday) – Chamber Home, Garden & Outdoor Show with food vendors and kids’ activities. There will also be an Orleans County scavenger hunt with prizes for top three teams and one unique hidden prize. There will be a campfire sing-along with s’mores by the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen from 7 to 9 p.m. The Albion Free Methodist Church will lead a Glow Party at 8:30 p.m. at the pavilion with a DJ.
• April 8 (Monday) – There will be food vendors and kids’ activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be kids’ activity from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring the Orleans County 4-H nutritional program leading a session on astronaut food, including hands-on cooking.

For more information about the camp sites and events at the fairgrounds, click here.

Map from I Love NY: The path of totality for the eclipse passes on an arc through Western New York on April 8.

149 have now graduated since 2018; Nick Picardo named alumnus of year

Photos by Tom Rivers: Taylor Gilbert, a credit representative with Farm Credit East, is congratulated by Orleans County legislator Skip Draper on Thursday evening during the graduation ceremony for Leadership Orleans. Charlie Nesbitt, a retired state assemblyman, is in back. Gilbert is among 25 graduates in the 2023 class.

LYNDONVILLE – A new class has completed an intensive program looking at aspects of the Orleans County community and equipping them to be more involved to help steer the county to success.

Leadership Orleans has now graduated 149 people since the first class in 2018. The program aims to build the “citizen capital” of the community, helping develop leaders who are educated on the many facets of the community, from agriculture, non-profit organizations, government services, small and larger businesses, tourism, arts and culture, community health and economic development.

The class also learned about their individual strengths and weaknesses, their personality types and how that shapes their decision-making and tendencies.

The group visited 44 sites around the county during the year and heard from 53 presenters. The program is funded through sponsors and tuition.

Lynne Johnson chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature, congratulates the class on completing Leadership Orleans, which included sessions each month.

“It is no small feat being able to make a commitment when all of our lives are so busy and hectic,” Johnson said during the graduation at the White Birch. “Your continued and future involvement in all aspects of our community is sorely needed and very much welcomed – from running for office, to serving on non-profit boards, to helping develop a vision of what our future can be – we need all of your talents.”

Johnson urged the group to be good listeners in their roles as leaders.

“Unfortunately, open dialogue is too often defined by who can shout the loudest, talk the fastest, deliver the most clever one-liners and generate the most likes on social media,” she said. “I do not think any of us would define that as leadership, yet that’s the path we’re on.”

Dana Joy, clinical supervisor for UConnectCare (formerly GCASA), accepts his diploma and certificates for completing the class from County Legislator Skip Draper and Jayleen Carney, representing Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

The graduates this year include:

• Jenifer Batt, Director Community Services, Arc GLOW
• Julie Berry, Author/Owner, Author’s Note
• Gabriel Bruning, Owner, Bruning Farm & Mountain Mule Ciderhouse, LLC
• Tracy Cliff, Deputy County Clerk, Orleans County
• Angela Conway, Principal, Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School, Albion CSD
• Carl Creasey, Training Manager, Claims Recovery Financial Services, LLC
• Jesse Cudzilo, Executive Director, Orleans County YMCA
• John Fitzak, Legislator, Orleans County
• Taylor Gilbert, Credit Representative, Farm Credit East
• Kristin Grose, Human Resources Manager, Orleans Community Health
• Michele Harling, Town Clerk, Town of Yates
• Katie Harvey, Director of Personnel and Self-Insurance, Orleans County
• Cassandra Healy, Store Mgr./Classroom Inst., Community Action of Orleans and Genesee
• Megan Johnson, Executive Director, Orleans Community Health Foundation
• Dana Joy, Clinical Supervisor, UConnectCare (formerly GCASA)
• Gwendolyn Large, Volunteer, Lyndonville Lions Club
• Kristy Lindner, Senior Quality Engineer, Baxter Healthcare Corp.
• Jaime Lyndaker, Director of Operations/Orleans Campus, Genesee Community College
• Janelle Moyer, Operations Manager, Claims Recovery Financial Services, LLC
• Brian Neal, Manager, Orleans Poverty Hill Farms
• Katherine Oakes, Horticulture Educator, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension
• Sarah Osborne, Director of Probation, Orleans County
• Michael Restivo, Financial Advisor, Brighton Securities
• Jessica Rockcastle, Human Resources Manager, Baxter Healthcare Corp.
• Elizabeth Tuttle, Youth Services Librarian, Hoag Library

Skip Helfrich

The schedule for this past year included a two-day opening retreat in January, legislative affairs in February, economic & workforce development in March, community health in April, communities & culture in May, outdoor leadership in June, tourism & recreation in July, volunteerism in August, agribusiness in September, education in October, simulated society in November, a closing retreat on Dec. 7 and graduation on Thursday.

“It’s not the same session every year,” said Skip Helfrich, executive director of Leadership Orleans since it started. “Every year we try to make it better.”

He said there are already 25 people committed to next year’s class.

Leadership Orleans also will be starting a “Level Up” program in smaller groups. It will include eight people initially and they will meet weekly in seven 4-hour sessions.

“What’s the next level?” Helfrich said. “Where do we go from here.”

The “Level Up” will focus on how to motivate people, create passion, build a cohesive team, and sell yourself to peers, subordinates and supervisors.

The effort should start in the first quarter of 2024, Helfrich said.

George Kiefer (right), procurement manager for Takeform, accepts the “First Impressions” award on behalf of Takeform in Medina. Skip Helfrich, left, is the Leadership Orleans executive director. Takeform was one of 44 sites visited by the class. Kiefer said Takeform works hard to help companies and organizations make a strong first impression through signage and branding.

Katie Oakes, horticulture educator for Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, shares remarks as a class member during the graduation. Julie Berry, owner of the Author’s Note bookstore in Medina, also spoke during the graduation.

Nick Picardo

Oakes also was picked by the class as “presenter of the year.” She runs the U-pick operation at LynOaken Farms in Lyndonville and gave a message about grafting apple trees. She said that can be a metaphor about bringing different people together and using their strengths.

“We are forever linked by this incredible journey called Leadership Orleans,” Oakes said.

Berry spoke about the power of atomic energy to create a much more through nuclear fusion. She said bringing different people together can result in a much more vibrant end result.

Leadership Orleans brought together people from diverse backgrounds, a program that is desperately needed during a time of polarization, Berry said.

Leadership Orleans also picked an alumnus of the year – Nick Picardo, the Kendall district superintendent.

Picardo was in the 2021 class, when he was executive director of Student Services for Kendall Central School. He has been the superintendent for nearly two years, and just last week led the district on a successful vote for a $12.7 million capital project.

Picardo has spent his educational career in Kendall serving as an administrator, social studies teacher, department chair, coach and advisor.

Jackie Dunham, left, presents the diploma to Gabe Bruning, owner of Bruning Farm & Mountain Mule Ciderhouse. Dunham and Charlie Nesbitt, in back, are both on the Leadership Orleans steering committee. Kelly Kiebala is chairman of the committee.

Nesbitt urged the graduates to shape the direction of the community.

“What makes one community successful and another not?” Nesbitt said during remarks. “It’s the people not the place. It takes a lot of people who know what they’re doing.”

Press Release, Orleans County Legislature

Lynne Johnson

ALBION – Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson has been appointed to the board of directors of the Healthcare Trustees of New York State (HTNYS).

HTNYS, a division of the Healthcare Association of New York State, aims to help healthcare trustees from hospitals and healthcare systems across the state navigate the shifting healthcare landscape, advocate for their organizations, and fulfill their governance responsibilities.

Johnson has been a trustee of Orleans Community Health for more than a decade. Her term on the HTNYS board begins Jan. 1.

“Serving on the board at Orleans Community Health, I have witnessed the rapid changes in healthcare and the challenges healthcare systems face in delivering quality, cost-effective care to residents, especially in rural communities like ours,” said Johnson, a Lyndonville resident.  “I’m hoping to bring that perspective to the HTNYS board and teaming up with others to advocate for our communities.”