Photos by Tom Rivers – County Legislator George Bower, right, states his objections to the budget. Legislator Don Allport, left, also opposed the $79.8 million spending plan.

ALBION – Orleans County legislators failed to approve a budget this morning that would raise taxes 5 percent and also fund a long-awaited upgrade to the emergency communications system.

Three legislators – Don Allport, George Bower and Henry Smith – all opposed the budget. Chairman David Callard and legislators Lynne Johnson and Bill Eick both supported it. Legislator Ken Rush was absent. The budget needs four votes to pass.

The Legislature has until Dec. 20 to approve a budget, or the tentative budget submitted by Chuck Nesbitt, the chief administrative officer, will take effect. Nesbitt submitted that budget to the Legislature on Nov. 13 after working with county officials since late summer on the document.

The impasse on the budget frustrated Callard, Eick and Johnson who demanded a rationale from the three legislators who opposed it. Callard said the three against the budget haven’t voiced concerns in recent months about the spending plan. He asked them to provide specific recommendations for cuts after they said the tax increase was too high.

“The government should be run like a business,” Allport responded.

He said some county positions should be made part-time. He said department heads should have been forced to reduce their budgets by 10 percent. The department heads should have been told to identify job cuts and other cost savings.

Callard said it’s up to legislators to make those decisions, not the department heads.

Allport said he would lay off workers in social services, who work with residents to access welfare.

“If people on welfare have to stand an extra hour or two in line that’s not my problem,” Allport said.

Callard said the county is mandated by the state government to provide programs, including social services. The county has eliminated 40 jobs in county government in recent years, including several positions in social services.

Allport as a legislator has the highway department as one of his committees. Callard asked Allport if he had recommendations for cuts in the highway department.

“No,” Allport said. “I’m told they’re understaffed.”

Allport faulted the state and federal governments for shifting costs to the local government, forcing the county to be “the evil people.”

Legislature Chairman David Callard voted for the budget, as did Lynne Johnson, in front, and Bill Eick. Henry Smith, back left, opposed the budget.

Smith said he couldn’t make any specific recommendations to cut the budget, but he said the county can’t simply blame the state for the tax increase.

“There has to be cuts made,” Smith said. “Although the state and federal governments push down to our level, we still have to respond.”

Callard pressed Smith by emphasizing the county has to provide mandated services and the radio upgrade is badly needed. That $7.1 million project will require a $475,000 debt payment for the first time in 2014.

“How do we respond?” Callard asked Smith. “What specifically would you recommend? We’ve had a year to work on the budget and now you vote against it.”

Bower said he opposed the process for putting together the budget. He said legislators seemed left out of the decision making. They used to work with department heads to shape the budget and that didn’t happen this year, Bower said.

He wanted reasons for the escalating costs of community college charge backs, which total nearly $2 million a year for Orleans, and Bower said he didn’t get answers.

He cast the lone nay vote last February when the county created a local development corporation to sell the nursing home. Bower said the Legislature should have handled that process, rather than handing off its responsibilities.

Bower has requested the bid proposals for the nursing home and has been denied those numbers. The LDC board has cited confidentiality of a real estate transaction for not making the proposals public. The board doesn’t want to see the price drop for the nursing home. The potential buyers could lower their offers if they see what the others have bid for the 120-bed Villages of Orleans, Nesbitt said.

Bower offered one specific cut. The Office for the Aging has two directors, he said, and one should go. The agency actually has a full-time director, Melissa Blanar. The past director, Pam Canham, has retired but she continues to work as a part-time assistant director. When Canham was full-time, Blanar was a full-time assistant director.

The county has reduced its staffing for the top two management positions, reducing a full-time position to part-time, Nesbitt said.

The Legislature has another meeting scheduled before Dec. 20. The Dec. 11 regular meeting is at 4:30 p.m. Legislator Ken Rush could be at the session and could cast a fourth vote for the budget to pass. Callard sets the agenda for the meetings and he could opt to not put the budget on the agenda. The tentative would automatically take effect.

The county had a public hearing on the budget Monday. Only one resident voiced a concern about the 5 percent increase. Paul Lauricella, vice chairman of the County Conservative Party, said the 5 percent tax increase is too high.

He attended this morning’s meeting, again opposing the tax increase. He was critical of the welfare programs that will increase county costs by $558,000 in 2014.

“Welfare dehumanizes people,” he said. “It puts people in a mindset of dependency. It’s destroying our country. Those that are capable of working should work.”

Callard responded: “Let the record show that I agree with Paul Lauricella.”

For more on the budget, click here to see an article from Monday’s public hearing.

Welfare, radio upgrade, nursing home main culprits

Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County had a public hearing on its budget tonight inside the county courthouse. Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Nesbitt is standing at the podium. About 30 people attended the hearing

ALBION – Orleans County property owners will see the average tax bill go up about 5 percent with county taxes in 2014, according to a proposed budget.

The budget totals $79,786,629, a 4.8 percent increase over the $76,133,318 in 2013. Property taxes account for about 20 percent of the revenues to pay for the budget. Property taxes would increase 5.0 percent, up from $15,661,104 to $16,441,366.

“A 5 percent increase is unacceptable,” said Paul Lauricella, vice chairman of the Orleans County Conservative Party and the lone resident to speak out during the hearing. “Come on guys, give us a break.”

The budget increases the tax rate 40 cents from $9.71 to $10.11 per $1,000 of assessed property. The fee for solid waste and recycling is up $5 to $190 for the year.

The tax impact could have been worse, but the county will see its pension contributions drop by $169,376 to $4,271,017. The county’s health insurance costs also will go down by $157,340 and worker’s compensation is budgeted to decrease by $100,376.

But the declines aren’t enough to offset other big increases, including $558,000 more for welfare costs with most of that the result of cost shifts in the Safety Net program. The county also is upgrading its emergency communication system for $7.1 million. The county will make its first $475,000 debt payment for the project next year.

“The coverage will be virtually 100 percent,” Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, said about the radio system’s signal strength throughout Orleans. The current system has many weak spots, especially on the eastern and western ends of the county.

“It will be an incredibly significant upgrade,” Nesbitt said.

Sprint Nextel is paying $3.3 million towards the upgrade and a federal Department of Homeland Security grant will also pay $2 million of the project.

Chuck Nesbitt details the county budget during a hearing tonight.

The county will also repair the Waterport bridge over Lake Alice for $1.5 million, with the county responsible for 5 percent of the project or $75,000. The Hulberton Road bridge will be replaced at an estimated cost of $1,386,970. The county will pay 5 percent or $69,348. The federal government pays 80 percent with the state covering the other 15 percent.

The nursing home will consume about $1.9 million from the county. The 120-bed Villages of Orleans, which the county is trying to sell, is forecast to operate at a $2,734,844 loss. The operating expenses are budgeted at $11,817,649 and revenue totals $9,986,502. That leaves a $1,831,147 gap. The county also has to pay $903,697 in debt service for recent renovations and an expansion at the site in 2007. That adds up to a $2,734,844 loss for 2014.

The county and federal government will each contribute $825,000 in Intergovernmental Transfer (IGT) shares that help offset Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates that don’t fully cover expenses.

In addition to the IGT, the county will use $1,084,844 from a reserve fund. County officials say those reserves will soon be depleted. If the nursing home stays county-owned, the tax burden would be significantly higher in the future once the reserves are gone, legislators have said.

Legislators did get some praise after the budget hearing. Charles Pettit, a member of the board of directors for the Cornell Cooperative Extension, thanked the county for not cutting the Extension. Legislators have budgeted to maintain the same funding for agencies that receive county dollars.

Here are the funded agencies and how much they receive from the county: Cornell Cooperative Extension, $219,150; Orleans Economic Development Agency, $150,000; Soil and Water, $57,750; Libraries, $10,000; Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, $1,000; and the Sportsman’s Federation, $500.

The Legislature will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday to vote on the budget. That meeting will be in the legislative chambers at the County Clerks’ Building.

Residents can comment on budget that raises taxes 5%

ALBION – Residents get a chance Monday to air their views on a proposed $79.8 million county budget that would raise taxes 5 percent.

The county is holding a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. at the Orleans County Courthouse. The Legislature has scheduled a 9 a.m. meeting on Wednesday at the neighboring County Clerks Building to vote on the spending plan.

The budget would increase the tax rate by 40 cents to $10.11 per $1,000 of assessed property. It exceeds the state property tax cap. The Legislature voted to override the cap last month. The previous two county budgets were under the tax cap, which is set at about a 2 percent increase.

The proposed budget will sustain core services, and it also includes the first payment of $475,000 on an upgrade to the county’s emergency communications system.

Another cost driven is a $558,000 increase in county welfare costs. The state is shifting Family Assistance and Safety Net costs to the local and federal governments, Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, said in a budget message.

Besides property tax, sales tax is the best weapon the county has locally for paying for county government costs. Sales tax, however, is running behind the 2012 collections through 2013, a lag the county attributes to a drop in gas prices this year.

County officials have budgeted for a modest $25,000 increase in sales tax. The county takes in about $15 million a year in sales tax. More sales tax would reduce the demand on property taxes.

The new budget takes effect on Jan. 1.

They have their shops decorated, their merchandise all spiffed up and deals aplenty. Local merchants hope the community will spend some of their holiday shopping dollars in Orleans County, away from the big box stores and malls.

It seemed awfully quiet yesterday in our business districts as folks fled to the malls. That has become an annual tradition the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday is built up by the big media – the television and radio stations, and the big city dailies that count the national chains as advertising customers.

Orleans Hub relies on the local small-town merchants to pay our bills. Spend some of your money with them and have some fun while you’re at it.

Medina will be in its glory today during its seventh annual Old Tyme Christmas celebration that includes children’s activities, music, Santa, elves, a parade of lighted floats and live music. (Click here to see the schedule and more information.)

Albion businesses, including restaurants, have also joined to offer discounts on Small Business Saturday, which has been an official national event since 2010.

If we shop small, we can have a bigger and better community in Orleans County.

The Orleans Hub went live about eight months ago – officially, April 2nd. (Some readers got a sneak peek the day before.) We’ve been growing steadily every month. Thanks to the readers and advertisers for a good start.

Thanks to Bill Lattin for giving us so many Vintage Orleans features, and the many people who have written letters to the editor on all kinds of topics. Nola Goodrich-Kresse also has been dedicated to her column about healthy living.

Thanks to the local police agencies for sending us their arrest reports. Thanks to the coaches of local sports teams for keeping us informed with game scores and highlights.

We’ve received a lot of nice emails and comments about this news site. Those encouraging words keep us going.

We look forward to the future of this site and being part of the Orleans County community.

OLEAN – Four law enforcement officers from Orleans County attended the funeral service Tuesday in Olean for Ross Riley, a state trooper who died Nov. 20 during a training exercise last week at Letchworth State Park.

The contingent from Orleans joined 1,500 law enforcement officers at the funeral for Riley, who was a member of the elite Special Operations Response Team. Riley was a 17-year veteran of the state police.

“We wanted to pay respects for the fallen officer and his family,” said Steve Smith, Orleans County undersheriff.

Smith attended the service with Chief Deputy Tom Drennan, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni and Tom O’Hearn, lieutenant for the Albion police.

Smith has been working in law enforcement for 40 years.

“Whenever a brother or sister officer loses their life in the line of duty, I’m reminded of something said by John Bradford, an Englishmen in the 16^th Century,” Smith said. “’There, but for the grace of God, go I.’”

For more coverage on the funeral, click here to see a report from the Olean Times Herald.

Rate jumped from 7.7% in September to 8.5% in October

Orleans County’s unemployment rate jumped in October, following a month when JP Morgan Chase closed its center in Albion and cut about 400 jobs.

The county’s unemployment rate for October is the fourth-highest rate in the state, according to the state Department of Labor. The county rate went from 7.7 percent in September to 8.5 percent in October. About 200 more people were added to the county’s ranks of the unemployed.

Bronx County, 12.2 percent, has the highest unemployment rate, followed by Kings County at 9.6 percent. Both of those are in New York City. In upstate, only Jefferson County in the North County, at 8.7 percent, topped Orleans.

Other nearby rural counties have lower unemployment rates. Genesee is at 6.1 percent, while Wyoming is at 6.5 percent and Livingston, 6.7 percent.

Orleans, despite the current high rate, is actually is better shape for jobs than in October 2012, when it had a 10.0 percent for unemployment.

There were 1,600 unemployed people in the county last month, according to the DOL. In October 2012, there were 1,900.

State-wide the unemployment rate went up from 7.6 percent in September to 7.7 percent for October. However, 9,000 jobs were added in the state in October, followed by a 24,800 increase in September. The current job count in the state, 7,490,100, is an all-time high, the DOL reported.

Jeffrey Paul also pleads guilty and will be sentenced Jan. 27

ALBION – David Paul, a construction company owner who was jailed for a year after stealing equipment from another company, needs to pay restitution or he could face another year in jail, Orleans County Court Judge James Punch said on Monday.

David Paul, 69, of 3823 Monroe-Orleans Countyline Rd., owes more than $100,000 in restitution, and only has paid an “insignificant amount,” said District Attorney Joe Cardone.

Paul said he is only earning about $150 a week. He lost about 80 percent of his business due to his time in jail, he told Judge Punch.

Paul also said he has few assets. The judge assigned the public defender to work with Paul. Punch said he wants a restitution plan the next time Paul appears in court, 2 p.m. on Dec. 9.

Paul and his son Jeffrey were accused of stealing two backhoes, a box truck and a car from a Wayne County business. They buried some of it on David Paul’s property on the Monroe-Orleans Countyline Road.

David Paul already served a jail sentence for the crime. His son’s case was delayed in court after Jeffrey claimed he had difficulty concentrating and couldn’t help with his defense. Judge Punch declared Jeffrey Paul, 40, mentally incompetent to stand trial in August.

Paul was sent to a psychiatric facility. He was there until October. During a Nov. 4 court date, Paul announced he was changing attorneys, which Punch saw as a stalling tactic. Punch set Nov. 13 for the start of a trial.

A day before that Paul pleaded guilty to criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree. He will be sentenced Jan. 27 and faces a maximum of one to three years in state prison.

Three teams from Orleans program make Lego robots to conquer obstacles

Photos by Tom Rivers – Two of the teams through the 4-H program in Orleans County compete in the robot challenge today at Churchville-Chili Middle School. The KOWZ (Kids Only Work Zone) team in back (with the cow hats and shirts) won a Core Values Award for their enthusiasm and sportsmanship. The team with the tie-dyed shirts (Prehistoric Robots) was one of four teams of the 13 to advance to the championships Dec. 8 at the University of Rochester.

CHURCHVILLE – Three First Lego League teams from Orleans County all left a regional competition in Churchville today with awards. One of the teams advanced to the championships for Finger Lakes area teams on Dec. 8 at the University of Rochester.

The Orleans County 4-H program joined the Lego League last year with one team. The program has proved popular with local 8- to 14-year-olds and expanded to three teams and 26 kids this year.

The teams all designed and built a robot out of Legos. The teams used a computer to program the robot to perform tasks.

Jack Finley from Albion and a member of the Stormtroopers team positions a robot his team programmed and built to complete missions on the course. The Stormtroopers won the Judge’s Award, which is given to a team that performed well in all aspects of the competition but didn’t advance to the championships on Dec. 8.

This year all of the FLL teams are competing in a “Nature’s Fury” theme that explores natural disasters. One of the missions requires the robot to remove a tree branch without taking down power lines.

There are 13 missions on the obstacle course. One of the Orleans County teams, the Stormtroopers, tallied the second most points of the 13 teams in today’s robot challenge.

The competition includes two other elements, including a project and a public presentation where teams had to research a disaster and discuss a part of the world that is vulnerable to a “Nature’s Fury.” Some of the teams designed safety kits, a water sifting device and a sparker that created fire without electricity or matches.

Michael Reese of Medina, right, and the Prehistoric Robots team compete in Churchville today.

The Prehistoric Robots team from Orleans received an award as one of four teams to advance to the championship at the U of R. The Stormtroopers received the lone Judge’s Award for a team that excelled at all the challenges but didn’t advance to the championships.

The KOWZ team (Kids Only Work Zone) received the Core Values Award for their enthusiasm and sportsmanship.

Jac Dorris, a member of the Prehistoric Robots team, also received a “Hero Award” after he found some money and turned it in.

(Editor’s note: My son Reuben is on the Stormtroopers team and a did a good job positioning the robot on the obstacle course.)

The Prehistoric Robots team advanced to the First Lego League championships on Dec. 8 at the University of Rochester.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – One of three First Lego League teams goes through a final run-through with its robot on Thursday. The teams head to a regional qualifier on Saturday at Churchville.

The 4-H program in Orleans County started FLL a year ago with one team. The program has grown to 26 children and three teams. Participants are ages 8 to 14.

Some of the members of the KOWZ (Kids Only Work Zone) get ready for a demonstration with their robot on Thursday. The robot is programmed to conquer different obstacles on the table.

The pictured team members include, from left: Jayden Neal, Ben Williams, Deegan Bragg, Zachary Neal and Zach Moore.

Marlene and Erik Seielstad are the mentors for the program. Panek Farms lets the teams use space in an onion packing facility on Route 98. That site, the former Remley Printing Company, is one of several donations that help the teams.

Besides making a robot from Legos, the teams researched a natural disaster and made a product that could be used in an emergency crisis. The children all need to speak to the judges during Saturday’s competition.