Taking care of our own

LUIS A. ALVAREZ
Posted 1/23/19

I’m often heard telling folks that it’s important we “take care of our own”—that we pay county employees a living wage that doesn’t require them to be lining up at …

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Taking care of our own

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I’m often heard telling folks that it’s important we “take care of our own”—that we pay county employees a living wage that doesn’t require them to be lining up at our Social Services office just to put food on the family table, or, just as bad, taking their skills elsewhere. I’ve written about that topic in this very space.

But that concept extends to our taxpayers, too, and it is this balance that my colleagues and I often agonize over. An undeniable fact is that New York State is losing residents largely because of the enormous tax burden placed on their shoulders, and county leaders have a responsibility to address that proactively.

It is a rare success when we can raise salaries without raising taxes, but we’re working on that right now, hoping to complete long-awaited contracts with several of our employee unions. I’m optimistic we’ll be able to do so without further burdening taxpayers, thanks to a better economy and brighter prospects for everyone in Sullivan County.

The ironic part about achieving balance, however, is that you constantly have to work at it. It’s like walking a tightrope: the moment you rest is the moment you lose your balance.

So the next “balancing act” already lies before the county. In fact, the challenge has been awaiting us for the past three years—the entire term thus far of this Legislature. If you’ve read this newspaper or talked to your local town officials, you’ve probably already heard about it: sharing newfound monies with our 15 townships.

Supervisors of those towns have been asking the county for a cut of increased sales tax income since before the current Legislature was seated. And while our predecessors were close to agreeing on a sharing formula with the towns, my colleagues and I felt that we should wait to see not only what new revenues came our way but also what new expenses cropped up. For, as anyone with a budget knows well, expenses tend to keep pace with revenues, if not outpace them.

Plus, this Legislature agrees with me that our employees have suffered with low wages long enough, and if we are to achieve that “rare success” of raising salaries without raising taxes, we have to utilize that increased revenue from the array of new and expanded development now ongoing throughout the county.

That’s how we’ve set our priorities, and I’ve endured some very pointed criticism from town leaders for that stance. Regardless, I think we’ve made the right decision.

However, the pleas of town supervisors to help them balance their budgets and more cost-efficiently serve their taxpayers–our taxpayers–has not gone unheard by this Legislature. The county already shares resources, equipment and personnel with our towns whenever and wherever we can, and vice-versa. We have to rely on each other—we’re too small a place not to.

So while we have not moved forward on sharing sales tax revenues, I believe we’ve found another new revenue stream into which towns can tap. We’re working out the details, and I plan to announce this exciting new initiative at my State of the County Address, tentatively scheduled for January 24. It’s about “taking care of our own”—in this case, our towns and our taxpayers. Stay tuned!

Alvarez is the chair of the Sullivan County Legislature, and lives in Monticello.

employment, taxes, salaries, NY

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