MONTICELLO  — County Manager Joshua Potosek presented a 2024 Tentative Sullivan County Budget to the Legislature on Thursday, November 9. The proposed budget continues to expand existing services while avoiding layoffs and reducing debt without raising taxes. 

“As proposed by my office, the 2024 Tentative Sullivan County Budget prioritizes what’s important to our residents: tax relief, debt reduction, road and bridge investment, and cost-effective government,” Potosek said. “At the same time, it carefully positions the County for a stable financial future.”

The current budget as proposed is $288,585,351 and keeps the tax levy flat. It does not propose incurring new debt or dipping into the fund balance of the General Fund for ongoing operations. Full details of the budget can be found on the digital budget book at www.county-sullivan-ny-budget-book.cleargov.com/13509. 

The Tentative 2024 County Budget is highlighted by the following:

• A historic $23.6 million for road and bridge work throughout the County, to be achieved without going into debt by bonding
• $2 million for a Housing Trust Fund to address the housing crisis in the county
• $2 million to provide for the design and renovation of county office spaces, as prioritized by the next Legislature
• $700,000 for the Sullivan Promise Scholarship Program, which provides up to two full years of tuition-free attendance at SUNY Sullivan for local high school graduates
• $450,000 to expand Move Sullivan’s popular bus routes to Cochecton, Eldred, Foxcroft Village, Grahamsville, Jeffersonville, Livingston Manor, Narrowsburg, Neversink and Roscoe
• $424,000 for the next Legislature to offer to eligible community nonprofits via the Discretionary Funding Program
• $360,000 to replace patrol vehicles in the Sheriff’s Office
• $300,000 (an increase of $100,000 over last year) for the Youth Bureau to fund local organizations serving youth and their families
• $300,000 to demolish blighted properties via the Sullivan County Land Bank and the Remove Unsafe Structures (RUSt) Program
• $165,000 to hire new dispatchers in the Sheriff’s Office, thus allowing two more deputies to head out on road patrol duties
• $150,000 for a Water Resource Study to map the inventory of this liquid necessity, especially in areas facing development
• $100,000 for improvements to Lake Superior State Park (which the County manages), including expansion of the beach and walking trails
• $45,000 for an Animal Control Officer to liaison with Public Health on rabies issues

The Legislature also approved raises for members of the Legislature and the Chairman to start the next term, as well as a 20 percent salary increase for the County Clerk. Every member of the Legislature agreed that a raise for the Clerk was warranted, which saw Russel Reeves get re-elected unopposed on Election Day last Tuesday, November 7. 

The maximum salaries that may be fixed and payable during the fiscal year to the members of the County Legislature and to the Chairman, respectively, are as follows: 

• County Legislator - $34,600 
• Majority Leader - $37,100 
• Minority Leader - $37,100 
• Vice Chair of the Legislature - $39,600 
• Chair of the Legislature - $43,600

The 2024 Budget also proposes for all vacant Assistant District Attorney positions be set at a floor of $90,000 a year, as well as salary increases for existing ADAs. There are also new positions proposed to be added to the Office for the Aging (Personal Care Aides) and Public Health (Community Health Workers and an Epidemiologist) to continue to help boost the County’s health rankings.  

“Thanks to the continuing robust economy, the 2024 Tentative Budget can add staff and services while eliminating short-term debt,” explained Potosek. “Nevertheless, we are keeping a close eye on fiscal responsibility, and this budget ensures the County is prepared for fiscal bad weather, should it occur.”

Legislators have until December 20 to review, discuss and adopt the 2024 budget. They may make changes to the proposed version before it gets adopted, and they will deliberate during special Management & Budget Committee meetings to be announced over the next month. Those meetings will be livestreamed on the Legislature’s webpage. 

A special meeting of the Legislature took place on Thursday morning, between the Public Works Committee and the Health & Human Services meetings. The purpose of this meeting was to set two public hearings for discussion on this Tentative 2024 budget.

The public hearings on the proposed Budget are set for Tuesday, December 5 at 5:30 p.m. and Thursday, December 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the Government Center in Monticello. Written comment is being accepted by Clerk of the Legislature, Ann Marie Martin, at annmarie.martin@sullivanny.us or 100 North Street, Monticello, NY 12701 until then.