GENESEO, N.Y., Nov. 12, 2024 — The Livingston County Administrator, Ian M. Coyle, has released the county’s tentative budget for fiscal year 2025. The document outlines a proposed spending plan of approximately $226 million, which includes investments in critical services, infrastructure, and long-term financial sustainability. A public budget hearing will take place on November 20, 2024, as part of the regularly scheduled meeting of the Livingston County Board of Supervisors.
In his accompanying summary statement, Coyle calls the budget “fiscally sound, balanced and forward looking,” while also maintaining alignment with the objectives and stated goals of the county’s overall strategic plan.
“As in past years, this budget reflects our commitment to providing the high-quality services our residents rely on while addressing the rising costs of doing business,” said Coyle. “Culturally, we have embedded in our organizational DNA that we will do what is right for the taxpayer, and that we will provide essential, 24/7, full life-cycle services in an efficient manner to our residents and
visitors here in Livingston County. This proposed budget accomplishes that and I readily await its public inspection, review and eventual adoption.”
The tentative budget includes a tax rate of $6.93 per $1,000 of assessed property value. At this rate, for every $100,000 of assessed value, a property owner would pay $693 in local property taxes to support the county’s robust, award-winning services and programs. This represents a proposed tax rate percentage impact of 4.38%. The county’s tax levy, or total amount of taxes collected from properties in the county, would increase to approximately $33.85 million.
County officials attribute much of this increase to operating challenges faced by the Livingston County Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation (CNR). A key component of the county’s long-term care service offerings for decades, the CNR was initially funded through a portion of the county’s tax levy. Thanks to increased federal funding and improved fiscal performance, it was eventually able to operate for several years without substantial tax support. However, like many other similar facilities across the country, the county-run nursing home was significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Coyle states that increased costs of doing business, coupled with reduced occupancy levels, put pressure on the nursing home’s financial reserves, necessitating the proposed tax rate percentage increase. He said this approach is needed, now that occupancy levels have returned to the 95% level, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the CNR.
“Despite the projected increases in both the tax rate and levy, the county’s fund balance remains strong, with reserves in the General Fund, Self-Insurance Fund, and other key accounts continuing to exceed the median of similarly rated counties,” explained Coyle. “Livingston County has been able to avoid the need for large-scale borrowing, thanks to a pay-as-you-go approach to capital improvements. The 2025 budget also includes a $950,000 contribution to the county’s Capital Improvement Plan, supporting infrastructure upgrades and long-term planning.”
Among the many capital projects included in the tentative 2025 budget are construction of a Veteran’s Memorial Trail at Al Lorenz Park, establishment of a Code Blue warming shelter for the local unhoused population, improvements to the worker’s compensation program, and several others.
Sales tax revenues continue to be the largest individual income source for the county with next year’s returns budgeted to increase to $46.5 million. Expenditures are also expected to increase with $226,276,050 budgeted for 2025. The majority of these increased expenses are related to the county’s Light Up Livingston project which will provide high-speed internet to every property in the county by the end of 2026. Despite the apparent increase in the budget, the project is nearly entirely cost-neutral having received almost all the necessary funding through federal and state infrastructure grant awards.
The county also continues to maintain its strong commitment to the local non-profit organizations that serve its communities. The tentative budget includes allocations for partners, such as the OWWL Library System, the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts, Chances and Changes, the Humane Society, the Hemlock Fair, the Soil and Water Conservation District, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Livingston County, among many others. This budgeted support is in addition to non-profit contractual relationships within department budgets in areas like Social Services and the Department of Health.
The tentative 2025 Livingston County budget can be found in its entirety on the county administrator’s website. For more information on the budget, please contact the Livingston County Administrator’s Office at 585-243-7040.
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About Livingston County:
Founded in 1821, Livingston County, N.Y., is home to more than 61,000 residents in 17 towns located across 631 square miles of the Finger Lakes region.