Monroe County Executive Adam Bello's proposed 2026 budget would decrease the average property tax rate — something that's happened under each of his budgets since he first took office in 2020.
But as he presented the $1.5 billion proposal Friday afternoon, he warned that the county is facing a $100 million deficit over the next two years because of changes at the federal level to the SNAP food assistance program and Medicaid.
"This is very troubling, because a core mission of county government is to administer programs that help the most vulnerable in our society," Bello said. "These federal funding changes take direct aim at those very people — our children, our seniors, people with disabilities — who will have nowhere else to turn. Counties alone cannot make up this difference. Something has to give."
The 2026 proposal would set the average property tax rate at $5.67 per $1,000 assessed value, a 36-cent decrease. That's down from $6.03 in the 2025 budget, which was a decrease from the 2024 rate of $6.65.
Under Bello's proposal, spending would rise by 1.9% from the $1.5 billion 2025 budget. That's largely due to employee payroll and benefits, as well as an increase in public assistance costs.
The spending plan includes funding for:
- The operation of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office's new Regional Investigative Operations Center, a real-time crime data center that is launching in 2026.
- The launch of a dashboard that Bello said will allow the county's 17 EMS agencies to operate like a single system.
- The rollout of a new mass public alert system, which is called Monroe Alert, and body cameras for probation officers.
- New positions at the Monroe County District Attorney's Office. A special assistant district attorney and an investigator will be added to the office's Domestic Violence Response Team.
- Several initiatives to address the opioid crisis, including a new arrangement with Lollypop Farm, which will board pets for people who are seeking inpatient treatment for substance use.
- Repaving 125 lane miles of county roads, adding 4 miles of bike lanes.
Building the 9/11 first responders memorial at Beikirch Park.
The budget also includes an additional $11.2 million for child care subsidies and keeps the fee parents must pay at 1%.
"No family should have to worry about whether they can afford quality child care," Bello said. "Affordable options allow parents to work, support their families, and build their futures without having to choose between a paycheck and caring for their children."
With new work requirements on the horizon for SNAP recipients and new Medicaid eligibility standards, Bello said his 2026 proposal pays for new examiner positions in the Department of Human Services.
Bello will submit the budget to the county Legislature, which will review and discuss it before voting on it in December.
