MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County executive George Borrello’s 2019 executive budget is now in the hands of the Chautauqua County Legislature and lawmakers will begin reviewing the numbers next week.
On Wednesday night Borrello presented a $254 million spending plan that includes no increase in the property tax rate, while also closing a $4 million budget gap from the current year.
Starting Monday, the legislature’s Audit and Control committee will begin holding a week-long series of hearings with various department heads and directors of county government to review and discuss the thousands of line items in the budget.
Legislature Chairman Paul “PJ” Wendel (R-Lakewood) said he’s confident the committee – which is chaired by legisalor Pierre Cagnon (R-Bemus Point) with Chuck Nazzaro (D-Jamestown) as vice chair – will do its part in reviewing all the information and making recommendations to the full legislature.
“I put all the faith in Mr. Chagnon, Mr. Nazzaro, and the rest of the audit and control committee that they are going to sharpen their pencils and look,” Wendel said Wednesday night following the budget presentation. “But I’m very pleased and happy that the county executive has put forth an historic budget that is finally balanced and we’re look or things to get better as the years come along. I’m excited about this budget. I think people and critics are going to criticize it, obviously, but starting out with a $4 million gap and closing that to nothing without having to raise property taxes, I think is huge.”
The committee will first meet with the Department of Public Facilities Monday morning, then move on to reviewing budget items related to planning and economic development in the afternoon.
On Tuesday the committee will review administrative services budget items, which include expenses related to the finance department, county executive and county clerk’s office, the county attorney’s office, the board of elections, along with several others.
Wednesday the committee will review the Health and Human services portion of the budget.
After a day off on Thursday, the committee returns Friday to review the budget for the public safety, including the sheriff’s office and district attorney’s office.
All hearings will begin at 9 a.m. and will run through much of the day into the afternoon. They take place on the third floor of the Gerace Office building in Mayville in Room 331 and are open to the public.
The county legislature has until Dec. 1 to finalize and approve the spending plan for next year.
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