During a Sept. Chenango County Board of Supervisors meeting, Smyrna Supervisor Michael Khoury listens to the board as they discuss planning and transparency. Khoury has consistently urged more public involvement and fiscal scrutiny of proposed county expenses. (Photo by Tyler Murphy) 

NORWICH – Touting an annual balanced budget that stays within the confines of the state mandated tax limit without incurring debt, county legislators hope to squelch taxpayer concerns over the tentative 2026 fiscal plan during a public hearing scheduled for tonight.

A hearing on the proposed county budget will start at 5 p.m. inside the county board meeting room at the Chenango County Office Building in Norwich. The hearing offers Chenango County residents a chance to weigh in on government spending for the coming year.

In spite of a local resolution passed earlier this year giving the County Board of Supervisors rights to override the 3.74 tax cap in 2026, county officials say those measures weren’t necessary for their proposed $7.9 million spending increase.

The plan imposes a 6.9 percent spending increase over last year to meet $121.4 million in estimated appropriations, about $25.1 million of which would be allocated for New York State mandated programs that the county has no control over. The proposed budget would allow a continuation of current programming, steer the county clear of fiscal stress, and keep an unassigned surplus – which stood at $32.3 million at the end of 2024 – above the county’s desired $21.6 million benchmark.

The plan calls for a tax rate increase of 30 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, or 1.9 percent from 2025 ($27.75 annually per average county residence). That’s less than the 51 cent tax rate increase adopted in the 2025 budget. Last year was the only year the county surpassed the state mandated tax cap due to exigent circumstances since its implementation in 2012.

The 2026 tentative budget does not collect local taxes for the county’s proposed office building or DPW facilities projects.

“We’re very pleased about this year’s budget,” said Chenango County Treasure Bill Craine. “We’re proud of the work our people do, and we try to provide it at the most reasonable cost basis possible.”

While county officials say they have met all self-imposed precepts for the 2026 financial plan, there are still some concerns for the future, said Craine. Among them, the increasing costs of healthcare and employee retirement contributions which have added pressure on the county coffers, as well as the unpredictable nature of budgeted revenues. Craine said an economic downturn on sales tax receipts would impede efforts to remain under the tax cap. Sales tax revenues need to at least meet U.S. inflation for the county to sustain a healthy financial standing.

The county’s also facing significant expenses for restoration services for individuals who have been charged of a crime but are deemed too mentally unfit to stand trial. “The state used to pay generally half the cost for restoration services,” Crain said. “Now they pay less than that; and so we’re going to pay probably about $1.2 million this year. That’s about 4 percent of the total amount raised by taxes. It’s a substantial challenge for us.”

Restoration services, combined with 14 other state mandated programs, make up more than 78 percent of the tentative county tax levy for the coming year, compared to 75.1 percent last year. The Chenango County Board of Supervisors argues that aligning the cost of New York State’s mandated programs with the state government would result in a “sustainable reduction in county property taxes,” and it would “create a more appropriate and equitable distribution of program costs.”