Valentine’s Day may be over, but Genesee County is feeling the love, at least for sharing its excess 2022 revenues with the city, towns and villages.
County Manager Matt Landers has proposed the distribution of sharing unanticipated and unbudgeted revenue growth as a voluntary payment of between $12,090 and $392,465 to the county municipalities for a total $2 million distribution payment.
The county Legislature is to vote on the proposal during its meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Old Courthouse. The measure has already been approved by the Ways & Means Committee.
Payments include:
- City of Batavia: $392,465
- Town of Alabama: $64,844
- Village of Alexander: $12,090
- Town of Alexander $66,697
- Town of Batavia: $284,446
- Village of Bergen: $31,528
- Town of Bergen: $80,599
- Town of Bethany: $65,573
- Town of Byron: $73,009
- Village of Corfu: $23,300
- Town of Darien: $146,589
- Village of Elba: $17,248
- Town of Elba: $57,522
- Village of LeRoy: $114,300
- Town of LeRoy: $130,530
- Village of Oakfield: $32,178
- Town of Oakfield: $48,190
- Town of Pavilion: $86,458
- Town of Pembroke: $173,282
- Town of Stafford: $99,152
- Total Distribution $2,000,000
The Batavian asked City Manager Rachael Tabelski if this money could be used to offset the city's proposed tax levy of $6.6 million, which will require a tax cap override, or how it would otherwise be used. She said it would go toward current expenses.
“This is a one-time revenue of $392,464 that will be distributed in this fiscal year (22/23). This revenue distribution is above and beyond the current sales tax agreement, and we are grateful to the County for the distribution payment,” Tabelski said Tuesday. “The funding will help us with current capital projects, including the police station, the fire and (Bureau of Maintenance) project, the City Centre Project, as well as vehicle replacement reserve funds.
“I would not recommend using this in next year’s budget on operational items as it is not a guaranteed revenue that we can count on to support operations,” she said.
Landers has also proposed a resolution to counter the state’s 2024 budget proposal to end the Affordable Care Act enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, a measure to keep all of the federal savings from now on and use them to cover further expansions of Medicaid eligibility and benefits.
This change would also increase payments to healthcare providers and require the 57 counties to spend at least $280 million more in the 2024 budget year, Landers said. Ways & Means has already approved the resolution, and it will go onto the Legislature to approve that “Genesee County calls on the State to continue to share these federal funds with counties as has been precedent for over 20 years” and that copies of the resolution be sent to Inter-County Association of Western New York, the Governor of the State of New York, the New York State Legislature representative, the New York State Congressional representative, and all others deemed necessary and proper.
