McCoy unveils county’s 2019 executive budget

ALBANY — Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy last Wednesday unveiled the county’s 2019 executive budget, which has yet to be approved by the legislature.

The proposed budget includes an estimated $711 million spending plan for next year, which is an increase of roughly $21 million compared to this year.

The plan does not include a tax increase for county residents; McCoy said this is the sixth year in a row that his administration has been able to hold the line on taxes.

“I am pleased to once again present a budget that showcases the fiscal progress and programmatic growth that my administration has made since I took office in January, 2012,” McCoy said. “This is the sixth straight budget that I have proposed that is under the state mandated tax cap despite an ever increasing number of unfunded mandates, combined with continued cuts in state and federal aid.”

There will be no reduction in workforce, programs or services, McCoy said. The bulk of those programs — 80 percent — are mandated by the state and federal governments, along with local laws.

The proposed budget also does not dip into the county’s general fund reserves. Those reserves have doubled in the past eight years, McCoy added, “from $30.6 million in 2011 to more than $60 million next year.”

“This year’s budget continues the mission of county government – serving our children, our seniors, our veterans and those struggling with the challenges of poverty, illness and addiction – and will continue the incredible progress we are making throughout the region,” McCoy said.

The budget includes a salary increases for county workers — non-union county employees will receive a 2 percent increase over their current salary.

Investments in 2019 will include a revamped shared services plan that is expected to reduce costs to taxpayers as municipalities are able to share equipment and services, along with a healthcare consortium that is aimed at bringing down healthcare costs.

The plan also increases support of the Albany County Land Bank, which has transformed more than 300 distressed properties and gotten them back onto the tax rolls.

There are two areas that have had the largest individual impacts on the proposed budget, both involving criminal justice system reforms.

“The biggest change in this budget from prior budgets is the addition of two funded mandates from the state,” according to McCoy. “First, Raise the Age increases the age of juvenile accountability in our justice system over the next two years. This budget contains a total of 21 additional positions and a total increase of $8 million to the budget for this initiative, all of which will be fully reimbursed by the state.”

The plan is aimed at making sure the justice system “is more fair and does not punish 16- and 17-year-olds as adults,” according to McCoy.

The second reform involves providing legal defense to people who can’t afford it.

“Statewide implementation of the 2017 Indigent Legal Services Reform, initiated by legislation originating within my administration, will increase the quality of our indigent legal defense by increasing access to quality defense attorneys at all levels of the system, reducing caseloads and making other quality improvements,” McCoy said.

That fund will increase the budget by $1.75 million, and will also be “fully reimbursable by New York state.”

The county legislature is expected to vote on the budget proposal by mid-December.