Monroe County Executive Adam Bello's proposed 2027 budget would again cut the tax rate for property owners, his seventh spending plan in a row to do so.
The $1.6 billion plan would knock the tax rate down by 25 cents to an average of $5.42 per $1,000 assessed value. But Bello warned that the county is facing rising costs in several areas, combined with reduced or stagnant reimbursement rates from the state and federal government. His plan uses $33 million in reserve funds to offset those costs while holding spending growth below the rate of inflation.
"We continue to face growing financial pressure from unfunded federal and state mandates, and rising costs of pensions, healthcare and operating county government," Bello said in a release. “These growing obligations put increasing pressure on county taxpayers and are simply not sustainable over the long term.”
Much of the reserve funds are going to offset a $15 million hit the county took when the federal government changed certain reimbursement formulas for the SNAP food assistance program. For example, the county will receive half what it used to in reimbursed administrative costs, translating to a loss of $4.3 million, Bello said.
In other areas, reimbursement rates are not keeping up with expenses for services the county is required to provide by law. For example, Medicaid reimbursement rates have not kept pace with the increasing costs of providing care at Monroe Community Hospital.
And while New York requires its counties to provide Early Intervention and preschool special education services to children with developmental delays and disabilities, it has not adequately increased funding to do so, Bello said.
But there are bright spots.
The budget includes $2 million toward a universal childcare trial program in Monroe County, which is getting $22 million from the state. Bello said that effort will add 1,000 childcare slots for Monroe County families with children up to 3 years old regardless of income.
And that cut to the tax rate — Bello said that was made possible by increasing property values in Monroe County and growth in the tax base.
