|
County Funds Approved to Temporarily Continue Outside EMS Provider
Sales tax revenues exceeded estimates in May, shortfall still projected
by Margaret Sternberg
At its July 30, 2007 meeting, the County Legislature's Audit & Administration Committee approved funds that would allow the outside EMS/ALS (Advanced Life Support) provider, Empire Ambulance Service to continue operating within the county. On July 1, 2007, under a 90-day termination clause, Empire notified the County that it would terminate its contract, which would then end October 1. However, the County requested that Empire continue until December 31, 2007, and the committee approved $116,250 in additional funding to allow the service to continue until the end of the year.
Legislator Hay supported the immediate commitment but warned he would not do so for the 2008 budget, saying the County had been "sold on" the service as a "reasonable expense to our residents. It has become…almost double what was estimated…"
Hay said that he was unwilling to allot in 2008 much more than is currently allotted, suggesting that if those monies cannot support an outside service, the monies should be disbursed to the current emergency services in the towns to improve their services.
The service is expected to cost $950,000 in 2008.
The Committee wasted no time in following up on the recommendations from the NYS Comptroller's Office on the management and running of the Putnam National Golf Course, reviewing each recommendation with Commissioner of Finance William Carlin to find out what steps the county has taken toward implementation of the recommended changes.
Committee Chairman Tony Hay expressed concern over the way the RFP (see "Putnam National" story) had been written, opining that he expected few responses, and requested a copy of it, once sent. However, Hay's primary concern, he told Carlin, was how Carlin would account for the golf course in the 2008 budget, adding that the course had never made a profit and questioning how Carlin would deal with the issue.
Hay described the golf course's financial effect on the preparation of the 2008 budget as a "tsunami coming up," referencing the state report's recommendation that the county "should maintain a detailed budget and accounting of all monies spent by the County for the operating and maintaining of the Golf Course."
Carlin said that financial records already exist with Putnam Golf, Inc., the current operator of the golf course, and that "all we're talking about…is when somebody [county employee] goes and makes a repair there…we have to account for that." After a short discussion on why the monthly records that are provided to Carlin by Putnam Golf, Inc. had not found their way to the legislature, Carlin said he would make certain the legislature received those records.
In other budget-related news, sales tax revenue for May, for the first time this year, surpassed by $64,436 the amount needed to meet the monthly budgeted figure. Despite that, the county is still looking at a possible $2.6 million shortfall. Legislator Sam Oliverio suggested that the county could make up that number during Christmas season, but Chairman Hay expressed skepticism, saying that the final numbers would tell the full story as well as give some indication of the effectiveness of the .25 percent rise in the sales tax that goes into effect September 1.
Hay warned Carlin against projections for 2008 sales tax revenue higher than $48.5- to $49-million, explaining that he was basing his projections on the sales tax revenue of 2006 plus an increase of .5 percent. Hay said that if sales tax collected is higher than budgeted for, the additional monies could be put into the designated surplus, which had been used to keep property taxes low. Carlin responded that he would take Hay's suggestions "under advisement."
Also affecting the county's revenue stream, Commissioner Carlin reported, is that OTB revenue, which is derived from the state, is expected to be approximately $500,000 this year and in 2008, falling from an average of approximately $800,000 over the past three years.
In a separate discussion on ways to save county money, Legislator Dan Birmingham suggested that the monies allotted for every vacant position within the County should be moved into a sub-contingency account in order so that when money is taken out of a vacant position, "we realize it does have an impact." Birmingham continued, "These vacant lines are used to scavenge for funds… and it does have fiscal impact." Birmingham also suggested the possibility of eliminating positions entirely if they have been vacant for a year or longer.
Legislator Hay agreed that the impact is there, but "you still need the employee;" however, he supported the idea of the vacant positions' budget lines and allotted salaries being moved to sub-contingency.
The September meeting of the Audit & Administration Committee will be posted on the PCN&R's website as soon as it becomes available.
Providing local news, information and opinions from
Philipstown and Putnam Valley, NY
Encompassing the Villages of Cold Spring and Nelsonville,
and the hamlet of Garrison, Putnam County, NY.
This site is a publication of The Putnam County News and Recorder, the source for news and information of the Philipstown
and Putnam Valley area. The PCN&R is 139
years old, published in hard copy every Wednesday, and circulated throughout Putnam
County, NY.
The PCN&R prints LEGAL NOTICES
for: Putnam County, The Town of Philipstown, The Town of Putnam Valley, Village of Cold Spring, Village of
Nelsonville, the Haldane Union Free School District and the Garrison Union Free School
District.
Deadline for printed press releases, advertisements and classifieds is Monday at noon for
Wednesday publication. This site is updated on an as-needed basis with a minimum update
weekly on Thursdays. For further information or to request a subscription to the paper, please
contact us with your name and mailing address at:
(845) 265-2468 PO Box 185, Cold Spring, NY 10516, or e-mail us at editor@pcnr.com
If you see an advertiser on line, tell them! | Click ads below
for larger version
System and Method for Display
Ads have a Patent Pending.
Click Here for More Information
|
