Group also wants to honor adults who work and volunteer on behalf of children in Orleans County

HOLLEY – The Orleans County Youth Board wants to honor local youths for their community service and adults for their work on behalf of children in Orleans County.

The Youth Board is sponsoring its 37th annual Youth Recognition Dinner on May 16. The Youth Board each year recognizes about 20 youths for their outstanding community service or if they have taken on an extraordinary role in their family.

In addition to the youth awards, at least two adults will be honored for their service to young people.

The Helen R. Brinsmaid Memorial Youth Worker Award recognizes a youth-serving professional whose work surpasses normal expectations.

Doug Egling, a caseworker for the Orleans County Department of Social Services, won the award in 2018. He is assigned to Albion middle and high schools. He supervises some children who are classified as PINS (Persons in Need of Supervision), and also does preventive and foster care cases.

The Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Recognition Award is given to an adult who provides service as a volunteer to Orleans County youth.

Sal DeLuca of Holley received the Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Award in 2018 for his 30 years of volunteer service to Holley youth. DeLuca has been a long-time soccer, baseball and track coach. He also has served as president of the Holley Sports Boosters Club. He spends many hours at the Woodlands field concession stand, working the grill and refilling the cooler with water, Gatorade and soda.

Nominations are due to the Youth Bureau by March 30. For more information, call the Youth Bureau at (585) 344-3960, or email youthbureau@co.genesee.ny.us, or click here to see links to the application’s on the Youth Bureau’s web page.

Return to top

Sidonio also endorsed for town supervisor in Murray

Chris Bourke

ALBION – The Orleans County Conservative Party has endorsed Chris Bourke for sheriff. Bourke, the current undersheriff, seeks to succeed Randy Bower, who announced on Friday he isn’t seeking re-election in November.

Bourke isn’t alone in seeking to be the next sheriff. Brett Sobieraski, a sergeant with the Rochester Police Department, also wants the job.

Sobieraski, a Kent resident, sought the Conservative endorsement and interviewed with the committee. He and Bourke both intend to run under the Republican Party line and will likely face a June 25 primary.

Bourke has been the undersheriff for the past three-plus years. He has worked with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office for 35 years, starting his career as a correction officer and then was a deputy sheriff before working 18 years as a lieutenant. He was supervisor of the Marine Patrol, and also was a K9 officer for 20 years.

The Conservative Party Committee interviewed candidates on Tuesday and today. Al Lofthouse of Kendall is the Conservative Party chairman.

“We feel these people espoused the best conservative principles of protecting the people’s constitutional rights, open government and best efforts to save the taxpayers’ money in line with our party platform,” said Paul Lauricella, the Party vice chairman. “We want to thank all who came to interview.”

The endorsements include:

• Orleans County Sheriff – Christopher M. Bourke

• Clarendon Town Highway Superintendent –  Tracy B. Chalker

• Gaines Town Councilwoman – Dr. Mary R. Neilans

• Murray Councilman Murray –  Dirk Lammes

• Murray Town Supervisor –  Joseph Sidonio

• Shelby Town Highway Superintendent Shelby – Dale S. Root

• Shelby Town Justice – Mark L. Wambach

Return to top

Money, however, will come from counties’ sales tax

(Editor’s Note: This article was updated at 6:55 p.m. to show the AIM restoration is proposed to come from the county sales tax.)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today he was putting $59 million in proposed cuts in AIM funds to towns and villages back into the state budget. However, the funding restoration will come from the local sales tax, not the state.

Orleans County towns and villages stood to have their Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM) reduced by $290,276. Those towns and villages already receive a tiny sum compared to counties with cities.

But with the governor’s initial proposed budget, eight of 10 towns in Orleans and all four villages would have been cut to nothing in AIM.

The governor proposed eliminating the funding unless it represented more than 2 percent of a town or village’s budget. Two towns in Orleans are just above the 2 percent threshold. So the governor proposed that Murray keeps its $44,677 and Albion, its $46,944.

The other villages and towns were slated to lose the following in AIM funding:

Villages: Albion, $38,811; Holley, $17,786; Lyndonville, $6,251; and Medina, $45,523.

Towns: Barre, $12,486; Carlton, $13,680; Clarendon, $11,416; Gaines, $21,323; Kendall, $21,299; Shelby, $45,007; Ridgeway, $46,273; and Yates, $10,421.

The governor today announced the budget amendments to ensure towns and villages will not adversely impacted by changes to the Aid and Incentives to Municipalities program.

The governor’s proposal would use additional sales tax revenue from the elimination of the internet tax advantage to keep towns and villages whole. Approximately $59 million in revenues for towns and villages are preserved through this action.

To ensure locals receive these additional resources faster, the State will also implement the Internet sales tax requirements earlier, starting June 1 of this year as opposed to September 1, the date originally proposed in the Executive Budget.

“The original proposal only impacted localities receiving a relatively small amount of money, but I have been contacted by mayors and local officials who say in these tough times it would still be a challenge for them,” Governor Cuomo said. “That is why we are revising the executive budget to use internet sales tax revenue to make these impacted localities whole.”

The elimination of the internet tax advantage was included in Cuomo’s FY 2020 Executive Budget and ensures that out-of-state merchants do not have a price advantage over the state’s retail community, the governor said. New York’s brick and mortar retailers are currently at a disadvantage because many online retail competitors are not collecting sales tax. This unequal treatment is unfair to the retailers who do collect sales tax, the customers who pay sales tax, the public at large who is forsaking state and local revenues, and the people who depend on the public services supported by those revenues, Cuomo said.

On an annual basis, collecting sales tax through internet sales is expected to generate $390 million in additional revenue for local governments.

However, that increase would be used to pay for the AIM restoration, rather than going to boost the local sales tax. Associations that represent counties, towns and villages are criticizing the governor for the proposal.

New York Conference of Mayors represents villages and cities in the state, and protested the AIM cuts. NYCOM Executive Director Peter A. Baynes issued this statement today:

“While we appreciate the fact that the Governor has acknowledged that the elimination of AIM funding would have serious implications for the state’s villages and towns, his ‘restoration’ of this $59 million is in reality a robbing of one property taxpayer to pay another. Rather than playing this shell game, New York State should be fulfilling its obligation to increase its investment in municipal aid and the property tax relief it will generate. Imposing a new mandate on counties to make up for the state’s cut to villages and towns will only further harm New York’s already overburdened taxpayers.”

Association of Towns Executive Director Gerry Geist released this statement:

“Instead of restoring AIM funding and signifying a desire by the state to act as partners with local governments, the Governor’s 30-day amendments would require counties to make up for a town’s lost AIM money with sales tax revenue. Sharing sales tax should be on top of proper state funding. This proposal does nothing to reduce property taxes, and takes money out of one hand to pay the other. Rather than supporting this attempt to pit local governments against each other to the detriment of New Yorkers the Association of Towns continues to call for a full restoration and increase in AIM funding by the state.”

Stephen J. Acquario, executive director of New York State Association of Counties, issued this statement:

“The Governor’s thirty-day amendment ‘fix’ to earlier cuts to the Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM) uses future Internet sales tax revenue that he is taking from counties to cover forced shortfalls. This is a horrible precedent and unnecessarily shifts the state’s burden to local taxpayers who already pay some of the highest taxes in the nation.

“The state could have used its share of internet sales tax revenue to make municipalities whole. Forcing counties to use a portion of their internet sales tax revenue to reimburse our municipal partners does not help the state reduce property taxes or help to offset the costs of services to our residents. In the end, local homeowners and businesses just keep paying more for decisions made by the state.”

Return to top

Chris Bourke, current undersheriff, will seek position

Photo by Tom Rivers: Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower speaks on July 28, 2016, when James DeFilipps was honored as the 2015 “Deputy of the Year” by the New York State Sheriff’s Association.

ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower has announced today he won’t be seeking re-election to a second four-year term as sheriff.

Chris Bourke, the current undersheriff, will be running for sheriff. Bourke has a 35-year career with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

“To fully complete my commitment to this office and run a campaign would compromise one of them or both,” Bower said in a statement.

He said he has met his campaign promises, and praised the staff and deputies at the Sheriff’s Office for making many improvements the past three years.

“A special thanks to all the residents of Orleans County who supported is throughout my term,” Bower said. “I will continue to serve the next 10 months with the passion and commitment as I have since taking office.”

Bower was being challenged for sheriff by Brett Sobieraski, a sergeant with the Rochester Police Department, who lives in Kent. Both sought the Republican Party endorsement. On Saturday, the GOP Committee didn’t make an endorsement because neither candidate met the new threshold for gaining an endorsement of at least 66.7 percent of the votes.

Bower won a hard-fought race in 2015 for sheriff, defeating Tom Drennan, who had the GOP endorsement. Drennan was the chief deputy for the Sheriff’s Office, and said Sobieraski would have been his undersheriff.

Bower ran a high-energy campaign, and had the backing of most of the deputies and the employees at the jail. He has remained highly visible in the community since he was elected.

Bower will be 55 soon after the election and is eligible to retire. He said he will stay active in his retirement, and wants to volunteer with Orleans Recovery Hope, an organization that assists people battling addictions and offers support for their family members.

Bower previously worked nearly 30 years as a county dispatcher in the Public Safety Building.

He highlighted some of the successes in the past three years:

• An increased law enforcement presence in the rural areas of the county, so much that Lyndonville and Kendall school districts each are paying the county $100,000 to have a deputy assigned to the districts as a school resource officer.

• State police patrol cars are now in the county dispatch center.

• The county has expanded animal control services and is having those officers trained as peace officers.

• The Civil Division promptly processes orders of conviction.

• There are expanded services in the county jail to fight the opioid epidemic, including a treatment program. The federal government is funding that program with GCASA providing the treatment.

• Bower said he has strengthened many partnerships locally with churches, Mental Health providers, and the state and federal government to assist people with addictions.

Bower last June received a national award for his work to implement several new initiatives in the county, including expanded substance abuse and mental health services for inmates in the Orleans County Jail. He was honored at the National Sheriffs’ Association Conference in New Orleans with a MAGNUS Leadership Award.

Bourke has been long-time leader at Sheriff’s Office

Chris Bourke

Chris Bourke has been the undersheriff for the past three-plus years. Bourke said Bower has been a strong leader for the Sheriff’s Office.

“I want to continue all of the initiatives the sheriff and his team have started and expand upon those,” Bourke said. “If you put out a list of accomplishments, it’s a long list.”

Bourke said the Sheriff’s Office has strengthened relationships with other local law enforcement departments, including state and federal agencies.

“Those relationships with our partners ultimately benefit all of the citizens of Orleans County,” Bourke said.

He started his career as a correction officer, and then was a deputy sheriff before working 18 years as a lieutenant. He was supervisor of the Marine Patrol, and also was a K9 officer for 20 years, working with four dogs.

Bourke said he will be seeking signatures on the Republican line to be the candidate. A candidate needs 543 signatures from registered Republicans in the county to be on the ballot. If there is more than one candidate, there will be a primary on June 25.

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The second class of Leadership Orleans met Thursday for their monthly session with a focus this time on local government.

The top photo shows a panel at lunch who discussed the local courts system. They include from left: Joanne Best, Orleans County public defender; Kathy Bogan, Orleans County attorney; Dawn Keppler, Shelby town justice; and Sanford Church, Orleans County judge.

The day included a visit to the Orleans County legislative chambers at the County Clerks Building, where the group was welcomed by Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer.

Leadership Orleans then heard presentations and a panel discussion by State Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Lynne Johnson, Orleans County Legislature chairwoman; Brian Sorochty, Village of Holley mayor; and Dick Moy, Town of Clarendon supervisor.

Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church discusses his job during a lunch presentation hosted by the First Presbyterian Church of Albion. After lunch, Judge Church gave a tour of the County Courthouse to the class, which includes 26 people.

Leadership Orleans spent the afternoon making site visits to the Albion Academy, which hosts the Meals on Wheels program and also has 30 apartments for senior citizens; the Orleans County Administrative Building, which includes many county offices; the Orleans County Public Safety Building; Holley Village Office; Village of Albion Water Treatment Plant; and the Orleans County Highway Department & Buildings and Grounds.

The class listens to the lunchtime panel which discussed the local court system.

You’re here checking the site, so you know: Orleans Hub is a vital resource for our community. Day in and day out, we share information and insights that matter to those who live and work in the towns, villages and hamlets of our county. Local advertisers help make the Hub possible, and so can you.

Donate today to keep Orleans Hub healthy and accessible to all. Thank you!

Bower and Sobieraski headed for June 25 Primary

ALBION – None of the candidates for sheriff for Orleans County gained enough votes today for the Orleans County Republican Party endorsement.

The candidates – incumbent Randy Bower and challenger Brett Sobieraski – needed a super majority of support, at least two-thirds for the endorsement.

Voting was done by secret ballot, and the results weren’t released, except to say neither of the two reached the 66.7 percent threshold.

Brett Sobieraski speaks during his campaign announcement for sheriff on Jan. 27 in Holley.

Sobieraski, a Rochester Police Department sergeant, took the result as a victory because Bower, the current sheriff, won’t have the endorsement. Party officials also are freed to support whichever candidate they want. If there had been an endorsed candidate, the party would have been duty-bound to back that candidate through the petition process and with fundraising.

“I take it as great news,” Sobieraski said at Tillman’s Village Inn, where the Republican Party Committee met for about three hours. “It levels the playing field to whoever resonates the most with the public.”

Sobieraski heads a narcotics team in Rochester. He also is an endurance athlete who has swam across Lake Ontario and done many long distance runs, including for 50 hours straight last summer along the Erie Canal towpath.

He compared the election to another endurance challenge.

“This is an ultra-distance race I’m in,” he said.

Sobieraski said a stepped up law enforcement effort, targeting drug dealers, would reduce the opioid epidemic in the county.

Bower is seeking a second term for sheriff. He missed the Republican endorsement in 2015, when the committee backed Tom Drennan. Bower forced a primary and won.

Bower touted a record of accomplishment during his presentation to the committee. He and Sobieraski each were allowed to give a five-minute speech.

Bower noted an increased law enforcement presence in the rural areas of the county, so much that Lyndonville and Kendall school districts each are paying the county $100,000 to have a deputy assigned to the districts as a school resource officer.

Randy Bower speaks to local high school students during a leadership forum last March.

Bower previously worked as a county dispatcher in the Public Safety Building. He wanted state police cars to be included in dispatch and that is now happening. The DEC conservation officers also are expected to be added soon.

The county has expanded animal control services and is having those officers trained as peace officers. The Civil Division has increased expectations to promptly process orders of conviction.

Bower has also pushed to expand services to fight the opioid epidemic, including a treatment program in the county jail. The federal government is funding that program with GCASA providing the treatment.

Bower said he has strengthened many partnerships locally with churches, Mental Health providers, and the state and federal government to assist people with addictions.

“We’ve met the goals I set out I do and we’ve kept our budget flat through all of these partnerships,” Bower said this afternoon.

Bower this past June received a national award for his work to implement several new initiatives in the county, including expanded substance abuse and mental health services for inmates in the Orleans County Jail. He was honored at the National Sheriffs’ Association Conference in New Orleans with a MAGNUS Leadership Award.

The candidates can start getting signatures for their petitions on Feb. 26. They need a minimum of 543 signatures from registered Republicans in the county. Those petitions are due in April.

Incumbent county legislators are endorsed, but not Tyler Allport

The 80-member Republican committee also endorsed the six incumbents seeking re-election to two-year terms. They include Lynne Johnson of Lyndonville, Bill Eick of Shelby, Skip Draper of Medina, Don Allport of Gaines, Ken DeRoller of Kendall and John DeFilipps of Clarendon.

Tyler Allport, the son of Don Allport, asked for the committee’s support so he could challenge Fred Miller of Albion for a district that includes the towns of Albion and Gaines. Miller is the only Democrat on the seven-member Legislature.

Allport didn’t reach the two-thirds threshold for an endorsement. A Republican official said some of the committee members were uncomfortable with a father and son serving on the Legislature together. Tyler Allport just finished his first year on the Gaines Town Board. The Republican Party two years ago didn’t run a candidate against Miller.

Allport can still run as a Republican if he submits petitions signed by enough registered Republicans.

Return to top

Group will consider Bower or Sobieraski for sheriff, candidates for county legislator

ALBION – The 80 members of the Orleans County Republican Committee will meet today to consider endorsements for county positions, including sheriff and seven county legislators.

Randy Bower, the current sheriff, is being challenged by Brett Sobieraski of Kent, a sergeant with the Rochester Police Department, to lead the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

Bower was elected in 2015, winning a contentious election over Tom Drennan. Both sought to succeed Scott Hess, who retired after 2015.

The Republican Committee that year endorsed Drennan, and Bower forced a primary and topped Drennan for the Republican in a razor-thin race.

Sobieraski ran with Drennan and would have served as his undersheriff if Drennan won the election.

There is a chance the committee won’t make an endorsement today because the candidate now needs to get two-thirds or 66.7 percent of the committee’s weighted vote.

The committee will also hear from seven candidates for county legislator. Tyler Allport, a current Gaines town councilman and son of legislator Don Allport, is seeking the endorsement to challenge Fred Miller, the only Democrat on the Legislature. Miller is well liked by the other legislators, so much that Republicans didn’t run a candidate against him in 2017. He represents a district that includes the towns of Albion and Gaines.

The other Republican legislators are seeking re-election to two-year terms and include Lynne Johnson of Lyndonville, Bill Eick of Shelby, Skip Draper of Medina, Don Allport of Gaines, Ken DeRoller of Kendall and John DeFilipps of Clarendon.

The meeting today is at Tillman’s Village Inn. The committee is also expected to accept the resignation of Ed Morgan, who is stepping down as GOP chairman. Skip Draper, the current first vice chairman, will be acting chairman.

Return to top

Rate of growth among lowest in WNY, Finger Lakes

Photo by Tom Rivers: Open flags are outside the Uptown Browsery in downtown Albion in this photo from last month.

Sales tax in Orleans County grew by nearly $500,000 in 2018, part of a trend around the state.

However in Orleans County the rate of growth, at 2.92 percent or $475,614, was among the lowest in this part of the state. Of the 14 counties in Western New York and the Finger Lakes, only Monroe at 2.38 percent and Wyoming at 1.81 percent had lower growth rates.

Sales tax revenues jumped by $1 million for Orleans County in 2017, up 6.45 percent from $15,287,529 to $16,273,192.

The county budgeted for a $610,000 increase in 2018, and just missed that projection, with sales tax increasing from $16,273,192 to $16,748,806. (The county keeps about 92 percent of the sales tax and shares $1,366,671 with the four villages and 10 towns. They have been frozen at that level since 2001.)

The county budget for 2019 is counting on additional growth of $560,000. The sales tax increases have helped the county pay for infrastructure projects and also stay under the state-imposed tax cap, which is usually about 2 percent a year.

Sales tax collections across the state came in at $17.5 billion, which was up by $872 million or 5.3 percent, according to a report from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

“Local sales tax collections grew at a faster pace in 2018 than in recent years, boosting local revenues,” he said in his report. “Despite the good news, a slowdown in collection growth in the fourth quarter shows that sales tax revenue can be unpredictable. Local officials should keep a watchful eye on consumer spending and this revenue source and be prepared to react accordingly.”

Among the rural GLOW counties, two had robust growth while the other two had a modest increase.

Genesee County’s sales tax grew by 9.00 percent, from $38,683,226 to $42,163,430, and Livingston went up by 9.12 percent from $31,880,449 to $34,788,736.

Orleans grew 2.92 percent, which was more than the 1.81 percent for Wyoming County, which increased from $18,262,292 to $18,592,593.

Return to top

Treasurer’s Office will be open and some county employees will report for work

ALBION – Most Orleans County government offices will be closed again on Thursday with bitterly cold temperatures in the forecast.

Although most of the county buildings will be closed, some employees should report to work including county dispatchers, jail employees, deputies on the road patrol, highway department workers and buildings and grounds.

In addition, the Treasurer’s Office will be open for people to pay delinquent taxes.

The County Courthouse also is planned to be open on Thursday.

Return to top

‘We haven’t given up the fight.’ – Lynne Johnson, Legislature chairwoman

Photos by Tom Rivers: Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature, speaks during Friday’s Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Luncheon at Tillman’s Village Inn. Nathan Pace, moderator of the event, is at right.

ALBION – Orleans County officials remain committed in pushing for more high-speed Internet throughout the county.

Orleans has tried for several years to expand the service into the outlying rural areas, but hasn’t had much success, even with the state’ making $500 million available for expanded broadband.

“We haven’t given up the fight,” Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature, said Friday during the Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Luncheon.

Orleans and Niagara have partnered to form the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance to push for more broadband, and address other issues for the two counties, including dredging harbors.

The lack of high-speed Internet remains a top concern for the two counties. Johnson said broadband is critical for retaining and attracting residents and businesses. Increasingly, companies file reports online and students can do research and homework through the Internet.

“We will remain fighting for Orleans and Niagara counties to get each and every house wired,” Johnson said.

State Sen. Robert Ortt, R-North Tonawanda, said the $500 million from the state didn’t make much of a dent in reaching underserved areas, like Orleans and Niagara.

The federal government may have funding to help bridge the gap, representatives from U.S. senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand as well as Congressman Chris Collins said during the luncheon.

Johnson said she is hopeful a new rural broadband program through the federal U.S. Department of Agriculture can help in rural Orleans and Niagara.

• Johnson updated about 100 people at the luncheon on other county initiatives including the construction of a $10 million addition to the County Administration Building on Route 31. The county broke ground on the 23,000-square-foot addition in April. The construction is expected to be complete on May 3, with furniture, computers and office equipment to then go in. Employees should be moved over and settled into the new space by late June.

The addition will be used by 50 county employees from the Health Department, Board of Elections, information technology department and the Legislative office and staff. The building will be connected to the current Administration Building with the addition on the south side.

The new space will include a meeting room for the Legislature with about 60 seats. The current Legislative chambers has about 30 seats and is one of the smallest municipal meeting rooms in the county.

• The county will be transitioning to new 96-gallon recycling totes in 2019, with an implementation start date in July.

Residents currently use recycling bins that are emptied weekly by Modern. Modern will be switching to 96-gallon totes that have covers. Those totes can be grabbed by a mechanical arm, lifted into the arm and emptied into the recycling truck.

The change will allow Modern to staff each recycling truck with one employee. The company can also speed up the collection effort, spending an every of 12 seconds per stop.

The county will have public meetings to help educate the public about the new recycling totes, Legislator Ken DeRoller said.

The Orleans County Courthouse, shown last week, will get have a rubberized coating put on the roof this year to protect the dome from leaks.

• The dome for the Orleans County Courthouse needs $140,000 in repairs. The dome has several leaks. The county will have a rubberized coating put on the dome to protect it from leaks. The $140,000 repair on the dome is among $3,181,106 in capital projects for the county in the 2019 budget.

Johnson said work on the pillars on the courthouse will also need attention in the near future.

• The county was asked about its revenue-sharing with local sales tax. There is about $17 million in local sales tax revenue and the county keeps about 92 percent of that. The villages and towns get $1,366,671. The four villages and 10 towns have been frozen at that level since 2001.

The village and town shares shift depending on changes in assessed value. A question submitted to the Chamber about the issue said the revenue shares shouldn’t change based on assessed value.

Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer the past 14 years, said none of the villages have proposed a different formula for divvying up the sales tax money since he’s been working for the county.

He doesn’t want to see a municipality take a big hit with sales tax, given the era of 2 percent property tax caps.

Larger counties share a lot of the sales tax with towns, villages and even school districts. In Orleans the towns and villages may only get a small percentage, but Nesbitt said most other small counties, at 50,000 people or less, keep all of the sales tax.

He said there are 14 counties at 50,000 or fewer people and eight don’t share sales tax. Of the six that do, he said Orleans shares the most behind only Schuyler County, which has Watkins Glen International Speedway, a significant sales tax generator.

“In our peer group we’re number 2 in what we do with sharing sales tax,” Nesbitt said at the luncheon.

The current formula has resulted in a drop in sales tax for the villages. Their amount has declined by about $27,000 from 2013 to 2019, falling from $404,661 in 2013 to $377,019 for 2019. The villages’ decline has resulted in an increase of about $27,000 among six towns that have a village within their boundaries. Portions of the villages of Albion and Medina are in two towns.

• Johnson said she is optimistic a recent arbitration ruling will free up gambling revenues held back from the Seneca Nation of Indians. The county could receive $350,000 to $400,000 in funds that have been withheld by the Senecas in a dispute with the state.

• The Legislature chairwoman also said she supports making the 2 percent property tax permanent, which was passed by the State Senate. That cap will help prevent property taxes from any hefty increases.

Return to top

Photo by Tom Rivers: Brunner International in Medina, which produces components for heavy-duty trucks and trailers, is looking for more employees. The low unemployment rate has businesses competing for dependable and skilled workers.

Orleans County’s unemployment was 4.6 percent in December, much lower than the 6.2 percent in December 2017, according to data from the State Department of Labor.

There were 17,500 people working in county last month, up 800 from the previous December. The number of unemployed was down by 300, from 1,100 to 800.

The 4.6 percent unemployment rate in December ended a three-month streak where the county was below 4 percent. The 3.5 percent rate in October was lowest in Orleans County since at least 1990.

Statewide the number of private sector jobs increased by 120,600 from December 2017 to last month. In December 2018, the number of private sector jobs in the state was 8,243,700, a new all-time high, the DOL reported.

Orleans, at a 4.6 percent unemployment rate, fares better than Niagara, at 4.9 percent, and Wyoming County, 4.8 percent.

Other nearby counties have a lower rate than Orleans: Genesee, 4.1 percent; Monroe, 3.8 percent; and Erie, 3.9 percent.

Columbia County at 2.9 percent has the lowest unemployment rate in the state.

Return to top