OBSERVER Photo by Gregory Bacon
County Executive PJ Wendel has proposed a $301.9 million budget for 2025.
MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel is proposing a more than $300 million budget for 2025, which cuts the tax rate and sees an increase in the levy.
On Wednesday, Wendel presented his proposed $301.9 million budget. The budget calls for a tax rate of $6.72 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, 19 cents lower than the current year.
At the same time, Wendel is proposing a $73,421,447 tax levy, up from $71,527,108 this year. The levy is the amount collected through taxes.
Wendel noted this is the fifth time he has proposed a reduction in the property tax rate and the fourth time he has proposed a budget that is at or below the state tax cap. “When I took office in 2020, the tax rate was $8.46 (per thousand assessed valuation). I am proud to announce since my time in office the tax rate has been reduced by $1.74,” he said.
He commented on the levy increase as well. “While we do see an increase of 2.65%, this is below the rate of inflation at an astounding 3.4%,” he said.
Wendel said his proposed budget has a fund balance of 12.1%, slightly below the county’s targeted goal. The county’s financial policy calls for the county to have between 5 and 15% in reserves, with a goal of 12.5%.
To break down the $301.9 million budget, Wendel said that 24% comes from property taxes, 18% comes from sales taxes, 14% comes from designated revenues, 18% comes from state aid, 12% comes from federal aid, and 2% will come from county reserves.
During his 16 minute presentation, Wendel noted that statewide about 80% of county budgets go to services required by the state. Some examples he highlighted include: $4.65 million in safety net costs, $32.6 million for Medicaid, $693,000 for assigned counsel, $1.91 million for foster care pay and adoption subsidies, $2.12 million for medical services for incarcerated individuals, and $3.5 million for preschool transportation for students with special needs. “These are just a few of the unfunded mandates that Chautauqua County has been burdened with,” he said.
Wendel thanked Assemblyman Andy Goodell and state Sen. George Borrello for their fight against unfunded mandates and added that there will be no new unfunded mandates from the state in 2025. However, he added the costs for the current mandates are still going up. “The local share for these six mandates alone represent over 61% of our total 2025 levy,” he said.
Some of the key projects Wendel highlighted in his 2025 proposed budget include the final phase of the South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District west side expansion, maintain and treat 685 miles of county roads, six culvert rehabs, and four bridge replacements.
Wendel also said he is proposing the county spend $450,000 in economic development investments to address greenfield initiatives and complete streets projects, $437,000 in upgrades at Jamestown Community College, over $9.5 million in investments in the county’s Department of Public Facilities, and over $750,000 in public safety, between the Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Emergency Services.
DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE
Immediately after his presentation, the Democratic Legislative Caucus, made up of Legislators Bob Bankoski, Susan Parker, Tom Nelson, Marcus Buchanan and Fred Larson, issued a press release criticizing the county’s current budget, as well as Wendel’s proposed budget.
“Last fall the four Democrats on the Chautauqua County Legislature proposed giving $1 million of the then approximately $37 million ‘slush fund’ — Unappropriated Fund Balance — back to our hard-pressed property taxpayers. The Republicans in the legislature and County Executive Paul M. Wendel, Jr. said ‘no.’ This September the County Executive went on a radio program and said the Democrats’ position that county residents are overtaxed was ‘totally false.’ It is unfortunate that the County Executive reduces a serious issue to a pure partisan political attack,” they wrote.
The Democratic statement compared Chautauqua County’s budget to Erie County’s budget, and noted that Erie County has a Democratic county executive and county legislature, the opposite of Chautauqua County.
“The Republican Chautauqua County Executive trumpets our county’s full-value tax rate of $6.91 per $1,000. The Democratic Erie County Executive has given his residents a full-value property tax rate of $3.38 per thousand, the lowest Erie County tax rate in history and $2.24 lower than the next lowest in Western New York (Niagara at $5.62). The 2024 full value tax rate for Chautauqua County is $6.91 per thousand, based on a total Real Property Tax levy of $71.5 million. Chautauqua County’s full value tax rate is 104% higher than Erie County’s,” they wrote.
According to the statement from the five Democratic legislators, the latest figures from 2021 statewide show the average full-value county tax rate at $4.50, with Chautauqua County’s tax rate 54% above average. “Chautauqua County’s full value tax rate went down in 2024 only because the state of New York said our property values went up,” they wrote.
The five Democratic legislators said they are calling for the legislature to give $2 million of the county’s approximately $40 million reserves “back to the county’s property taxpayers.”
The legislature is scheduled to begin reviewing Wendel’s budget in committee starting Monday.