[Call to Order]
          [00:01:26]
          HERE. NZ HERE. LEECH HERE. ROGERS. WET. WATERMAN HERE. BOUCHER. FIORINI HERE. FLINK. 
          HERE. BUCK. OKAY. JOSEPH. KOENI. WHITE. HERE. NEWTON. HERE. DAVIS. HERE. CABLE REEL. PRATT, HERE. DIMAGGIO. DANIELS. HERE. JULIAN. IRVIN. WASHBURN. MCNEIL. HERE. GENTILE HERE. WE HAVE A QUORUM. THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE WILL MEET RIGHT AFTER THIS PRESENTATION. THE COUNTY 
          [Communications]
EXECUTIVE NOW WILL MAKE HIS BUDGET PRESENTATION. MR. PICENT. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. YOU LOOK VERY NICE TODAY. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          THE JERRY FIORINI, WHO HAS REALLY BEEN A PARTNER BY MY SIDE AND THROUGH ALL THIS. THANK YOU. 
          CHAIRMAN. AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE WORKFORCE OF THIS OF THIS GREAT COUNTY WHO OUR NUMBER ONE, WHO ARE GREAT. AND MY DEPARTMENT HEADS THAT SERVE AND MOVE THIS COUNTY FORWARD AND WORK TIRELESSLY TO MAKE THIS A BETTER PLACE. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE BUDGET TEAM THAT WAS PUT IN PLACE TO THAT HAS WORKED AGAIN OVER THE YEARS TOGETHER. BUDGET DIRECTOR TOM KEELER, HIS DEPUTY DMITRI FYODOROVITCH, COMMISSIONER OF FINANCE ANTHONY CARVELLI AND HIS STAFF. AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE COMPTROLLER ANESSA CARBONE ON HER FIRST BUDGET, WHO WAS INVALUABLE TO US. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, VANESSA. PLEASE GIVE HER A ROUND OF APPLAUSE, IF YOU WILL. WELL, I'VE ALWAYS SAID I'M FORTUNATE TO HAVE GREAT ELECTED PARTNERS TO WORK WITH IN COUNTY, INCLUDING THE COMPTROLLER WHO'S, YOU KNOW, NEW IN HER ROLE FOR THE LAST, YOU KNOW, EIGHT MONTHS AND NINE MONTHS. EXCUSE ME. IN COUNTING. ALSO ANOTHER NEWBIE IN THAT REGARD, BUT NO STRANGER TO THIS COUNTY IS DISTRICT ATTORNEY TODD CARVEL. TODD, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND HIDING BACK 
          [00:05:02]
THERE, I SEE HER. I KNOW YOU'RE THERE. THE YOU KNOW, SOME THINGS THAT HAVE CHANGED. THE WAY WE DELIVER BUSINESS. AND IT'S BEEN GREAT. COUNTY CLERK MARY FINNEGAN. MARY. THANK YOU. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE GUY THAT KEEPS US SAFE AND REALLY DOES A GREAT JOB AND HAS BEEN A GREAT FRIEND AND PARTNER AND I CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT SHERIFF ROB MARSHALL. SHERIFF. THANK YOU. SO LET'S GET TO WORK. AS I'VE SAID, MANY TIMES WHEN I PRESENT THESE BUDGET PLANS THAT IT IS A BLUEPRINT OF HOW WE ACCOMPLISH OUR TASKS DAY IN AND DAY OUT. IT'S IT IS JUST THAT, A PLAN. 
          WELL, AS WE KNOW, PLANS CHANGE AND NEVER WAS THAT MORE EVIDENT THAN ON JULY 16TH OF THIS YEAR. 
          THE TORNADO THAT DEVASTATED ROME AND THE OUTLYING AREAS WAS UNLIKE ANY DISASTER WE HAVE SEEN IN MY TIME IN THIS OFFICE. THIS ISN'T TO SAY WE HAVEN'T FACED EMERGENCIES BEFORE. WE HAVE. 
          WE'VE SEEN FLOODING AND SNOWSTORMS. WE HAVE SEEN OTHER EMERGENCIES, AND WE HAVE RESPONDED. BUT THOSE RESPONSES, WHILE COSTING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND SPURRING LONG TERM SOLUTIONS LIKE FLOOD MITIGATION AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CHANGES, HAVE BEEN SMALLER IN COMPARISON TO THE SIZE AND SCOPE OF THIS TORNADO. IT CAUSED UNPRECEDENTED DAMAGE AND NEEDED AN UNPARALLELED RESPONSE. NEARLY 20,000 PEOPLE WERE WITHOUT POWER FOR NEARLY A WEEK. OVER 80 STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN CONDEMNED. DOZENS AND DOZENS OF STREETS NEEDED TO BE CLEARED. PEOPLE NEEDED FOOD, WATER AND SHELTER. THE NECESSITIES WITH THE CITY OF ROME, WE IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED. 
          WE WORKED HAND IN HAND. AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MAYOR LANIGAN, POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS, THEIR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, FOR THE EXCELLENT JOB THEY DID. AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THEM IMMENSELY. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE TIRELESS WORK OF OUR OWN COUNTY, DPW, DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY, OR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES, HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, THE ONEIDA COUNTY SHERIFF AND HIS HIS OFFICE AND THEIR WORK, THE STATE OF NEW YORK EMERGENCY PERSONNEL WHO JOINED THE CITY OF ROME HIT THE GROUND RUNNING TO RESPOND TO THIS DISASTER. THANK YOU ALL. BUT THE REST OF OUR COMMUNITY STEPPED UP LIKE I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. CONNECTED COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF HERKIMER AND ONEIDA COUNTIES, THE RED CROSS, CERTAINLY NATIONAL GRID WAS ANOTHER GREAT PARTNER AND NUMEROUS MUNICIPALITIES THAT OFFERED AND PROVIDED ASSISTANCE. OUR CHURCHES AND MANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ALL ANSWERED THE CALL. WE WERE WE WERE HOUSED FOR A TIME AT SAINT PETER'S CHURCH WHILE OUR OFFICES WERE WERE DECIMATED. AND LET'S NOT FORGET THE RESIDENTS WHO GAVE THEIR TIME, THEIR DOLLARS AND THEIR EFFORT TO ASSIST THOSE WHO NEEDED IT. WE ARE ALWAYS STRONGER, AS I SAY, WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER IN THE MOST TRYING OF TIMES. TOGETHER WE MOVED $5 MILLION FROM FUND BALANCE TO BEGIN TO ADDRESS NEEDS. TOGETHER WITH OUR PARTNERS, WE SET UP TEMPORARY SHELTERS AND BEGAN TO PUT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF FOOD REPLENISHMENT CARDS INTO THE HANDS OF PEOPLE. JUST 48 HOURS AFTER THE TORNADO. WE BOUGHT A MYRIAD OF SUPPLIES FOR IMPROMPTU FOOD BANKS AND OUR MOBILE UNITS. WE PUT $300,000 TOWARDS BUSINESS RECOVERY. MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE HAVE PUT ALONG WITH THE COMMUNITY IN RAISING MONEY. WE HAVE PUT NEARLY $1.4 MILLION INTO THE HANDS OF OVER 450 RESIDENTS WHOSE PROPERTIES WERE WRECKED BY THIS TORNADO. IN ADDITION TO SIZE AND SCOPE, WHAT MADE THIS SITUATION UNIQUE WAS THAT IN OTHER EMERGENCIES, OUR ROLE HAS BEEN TO HELP SMALLER MUNICIPALITIES THROUGH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, SHARED RESOURCES, FUNDING AND LONG TERM SOLUTIONS. THIS EMERGENCY HAD THOSE COMPONENTS, BUT OUR GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS AND OUR EMPLOYEES WERE ALSO IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM. 
          THIS ADDED TO ANOTHER LAYER OF RESPONSE AND EXPENSES. BOTH OUR MAIN DFCS AND ROME OFFICE AND OUR DMV AND FAMILY COURT OFFICES WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED, AS WERE STRUCTURES AT OUR AIRPORT. WE HAD TO LEASE TEMPORARY OFFICE SPACE IN A MATTER OF DAYS, AND WE'LL NEED TO PAY FOR IT IN THE 
          [00:10:03]
FORESEEABLE FUTURE. WE THEN SET THEM THAT OFFICE UP FOR STAFF, INCLUDING ACCOMMODATIONS, FURNISHINGS AND TECHNOLOGY, TO BE ABLE TO SERVE THE PUBLIC. AND WE ARE DOING THAT. THOSE COSTS RIGHT NOW, SET AT OVER $23 MILLION, MORE THAN $10 MILLION, IS DAMAGE TO OUR BUILDINGS ALON. 
          THERE IS A SEVERE FISCAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT TO THIS TORNADO THAT GOES BEYOND THOSE HARDCORE OR THOSE HARD COSTS, AND THE BRICKS AND MORTAR. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT IMPACT, WE COMMISSIONED A STUDY WITH CAMOIN ASSOCIATES. THEIR FINDINGS ESTIMATED THAT A $13 MILLION REDUCTION TO THE TAXABLE PROPERTY VALUE TO ONEIDA COUNTY, THE CITY OF ROME AND THE ROME CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT. IT ALSO ESTIMATES A LOSS OF 1.4 MILLION IN COUNTY PROPERTY TAX REVENUE, $1.8 MILLION IN FOR THE CITY OF ROME, AND $3 MILLION FOR THE ROME CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          MEANWHILE, THE ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACTS SHOWS AN EVEN STARKER REALITY FOR LONG TERM RECOVERY. IT SHOWS A PROJECTED REDUCTION IN ANNUAL SALES OF SOME $28.6 MILLION. IT ALSO SHOWS A $13.5 MILLION DROP IN ANNUAL AND DIRECT INDIRECT EARNINGS. THAT IS THE EQUIVALENT TO 191 JOBS IN THESE EMERGENCIES MOMENTS. THIS BUDGET MATTERS. THIS FISCAL FOUNDATION WE HAVE CREATED IS WHAT ALLOWS US TO RESPOND. OUR FISCAL REALITIES LOOK MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THEY WERE IN 2007, WHEN I FIRST TOOK OFFICE. THE COUNTY LOOKS DIFFERENT PHYSICALLY, DEMOGRAPHICALLY AND ECONOMICALL. COUNTY GOVERNMENT NEEDED TO CHANGE TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF THE PAST AND BE READY FOR THE CHALLENGES OF TODAY. AND I'LL HAVE MORE ON THAT LATER. WE MADE HARD CHOICES EARLY ON. SOME OF THOSE THAT WERE WITH ME ON THIS BOARD AT THAT TIME. OUR SALES TAX WAS AT 9%. IT NEEDED TO COME DOWN AND WE DROPPED IT AT A QUARTER POINT. WE ALSO NEEDED A WAY TO FIND NEEDED TO FIND A WAY TO BRING OUR SPENDING IN LINE. WE CREATED NEW MODELS FOR DOING BUSINESS. WE STREAMLINED OPERATIONS. WE IMPLEMENTED MUCH NEEDED INTERNAL CONSOLIDATIONS. 
          OF COURSE, WE ALSO NEEDED TO FIND WAYS TO INCREASE REVENUE WITHOUT INCREASING THE BURDEN ON OUR TAXPAYERS. WE DID THAT IN THE MOST SPECTACULAR WAY POSSIBLE. WE ENTERED INTO A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ONEIDA INDIAN NATION THAT NOW, IN ITS 10TH YEAR, HAS GENERATED $200 MILLION. HOWEVER, THE MOST IMPORTANT FISCAL CONSIDERATION FOR ANY GOVERNMENT IS THE FUND BALANCE. OUR MONEY IN THE BANK. IN 2007, THIS GOVERNMENT HAD A $7 MILLION FUND BALANCE THAT IS BARELY ENOUGH TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT DAY IN AND DAY OUT, LET ALONE MEET THE CHALLENGES OF THIS COMMUNITY. WE STARTED 2024 WITH A FUND BALANCE OF $90 MILLION. WITHOUT A HEALTHY FUND BALANCE AND A STRONG FISCAL POSITION, THIS GOVERNMENT'S ABILITY TO HELP IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH AND LONG TERM RECOVERY OF THE TORNADO WOULD HAVE BEEN LIMITED BECAUSE OF THE WORK WE'VE DONE YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT. WE WERE ABLE TO LEAD THE WAY THROUGH THIS EMERGENCY AND MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THOSE AFFECTED. BUT THE FISCAL FOUNDATION ISN'T JUST ABOUT EMERGENCIES, IT'S ABOUT FACING DOWN LONG TERM CHALLENGES LIKE FLOODING, BROADBAND ACCESS, CHILD CARE, ACCESSIBILITY, YOUTH VIOLENCE, THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC, HEALTH CARE, FOOD INSECURITY, HOMELESSNESS AND MENTAL HEALTH. IT'S ALSO ABOUT STRATEGICALLY INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE THROUGH OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM'S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, TOURISM AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND LET'S NOT PUT ON THE BACK BURNER WHAT WE DO EVERY SINGLE DAY THAT NO OTHER GOVERNMENT HAS TO DO. 
          CHILD PROTECTION. FAMILY COURT, CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. CRIMINAL DEFENSE. PROBATION. CARE FOR THE AGING. TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE. SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE. RENTAL ASSISTANCE. 
          MEDICAID. HOUSING, THE HOMELESS, CHILD CARE, EMERGENCY SERVICES, ANIMAL ABUSE, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, PISTOL PERMITTING, ADMINISTERING ELECTIONS. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND OPERATING A CORRECTIONAL FACILITY. NOBODY ELSE DOES THAT, BUT COUNTY GOVERNMENT. AND TO BE CLEAR, WE THEN STILL HAVE TO DO WHAT EVERY OTHER GOVERNMENT DOES MAINTAINING OUR ROADS AND 
          [00:15:08]
BRIDGES, PLOWING OUR STREETS, MANAGING OUR BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS. PUBLIC SAFETY, MAINTAINING VITAL RECORDS. YOUTH SERVICES IN GENERAL. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. PURCHASING. CIVIL SERVICE PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WE ALL DO IT. AND FINALLY, WE ARE AND WE CONTINUE TO BE THE MAJOR FUNDING SOURCE FOR AN ASSORTMENT OF OUR PARTNER AGENCIES THAT DEAL WITH HUMAN SERVICES, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATION AND AGRICULTURE. WE COULD NOT ADDRESS ANY OF THESE ISSUES IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THE FINANCIAL WHEREWITHAL TO INVEST, IMPACT AND IMPROVE. TO THAT END, THE PROPOSED 2025 OPERATING BUDGET STANDS AT. 549,000,872 AND 906. NOW, THAT'S AN INCREASE OF 20,251,254 MILLION FROM 2024. BUT AS ALWAYS, BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S THERE OUT THERE. LET ME EXPLAIN THE INCREASE BECAUSE I KNOW IT CAN GET LOST IN TRANSLATION. COUNTY GOVERNMENTS ARE FACED WITH THE SAME PRESSURES THAT ANY OTHER LARGE ORGANIZATION FACES, AND ONE BIG ONE THAT THOSE DO NOT FACE. UTILITIES COST MORE AND SALARIES GO UP. EVERYONE DEALS WITH THAT ON TAP. ON TOP OF THAT, 90% OF THIS BUDGET IS STATE MANDATED, THE SAME AS EVERY YEAR. 10% IS DISCRETIONARY. SAME AS IN EVERY OTHER COUNTY IN NEW YORK STATE. THIS YEAR, WE HAD INCREASING COSTS THAT WERE ESSENTIAL TO HOW THIS GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS. AND WE'RE LONG OVERDUE. SALARIES AND BENEFITS ARE UP $30 MILLION. ALL UNION CONTRACTS ARE SETTLED. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE MADE FIVE YEAR AGREEMENTS THAT CONSOLIDATED STEPS AND INCREASED PAY FOR ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES. AS THIS BOARD, WELL KNOWS, WE WERE NOT COMPETITIVE IN THE MARKETPLACE. WE WERE NOT COMPETITIVE COMPARED TO OTHER GOVERNMENTS, ESPECIALLY OTHER COUNTIES, AND WE WERE CERTAINLY NOT COMPARED TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR. WE COULDN'T RECRUIT AND WE COULDN'T RETAIN POSSESSION POSITIONS WE NEEDED TO FILL. SAD, EMPTY HUNDREDS OF VACANCIES IN CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, SOCIAL WELFARE, CORRECTIONS OFFICERS AND 911 DISPATCHERS, JUST TO NAME A FEW. WE WERE NOT SET UP FOR LONG TERM SUCCESS AND COMPREHENSIVE AND A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH WAS NECESSARY AND IS REFLECTED IN THESE CONTRACTS. THIS BUDGET ALSO CUTS COSTS WHERE POSSIBLE. 
          WE ARE RESTRUCTURING THE PUBLIC DEFENDER CIVIL DIVISION. THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE WON'T BE PROVIDING THAT FUNCTION. WE HAVE TO BY LAW. WE ARE JUST GOING TO BE DOING IT DIFFERENTLY THROUGH OUR ASSIGNED COUNSEL PROGRAM. WE WILL FILL THE ROLE. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO MOVE SOME OF THOSE ATTORNEYS TO POSITIONS OF A DIFFERENT NEED THAT CANNOT BE ASSIGNED IN THE SAME FASHION, LIKE IN CHILD WELFARE, FOR EXAMPLE. THIS SAVES US IN SALARIES AND BENEFITS AND ALLOWS US TO REASSIGN ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF. THIS MOVE WILL ACHIEVE A 50% SAVINGS IN THAT COST CENTER. 
          WE'RE ALSO GOING TO LOOK AT INNOVATIVE WAYS TO USE OUR ASSETS TO TURN COST BURDENS INTO REVENUE GENERATORS. NOWHERE IS THIS MORE NECESSARY THAN THE GRIFFITHS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. 
          THE MODEL WE HAVE EMPLOYED THERE HAS NOT WORKED AS WE HAD HOPED, AND WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD IN A DIFFERENT WAY. TO THAT END, WE WILL EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY AND COSTS OF REPURPOSING THE USES OF OUR LARGE HANGARS. WE WILL BE USING OUR PURSE STRINGS TO ADDRESS DESTRUCTIVE ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE HAVE PROPOSED LAWS TO REGULATE SMOKE SHOPS AND CRACK DOWN ON FLAVORED VAPES. 
          THESE ARE ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THEY MUST BE ADDRESSED. THE LICENSING AND PENALTIES ASSOCIATED WITH OFFENDERS OF THESE LOCAL LAWS WILL BE USED TO OFFSET COSTS AND CONTINUE OUR ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS. SALES TAX. SALES TAX HAS BEEN LEVELING OFF MUCH MORE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS THAN IN THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. WE ARE PROJECTING THIS YEAR THAT SALES TAX WILL BE UP ABOUT 3 MILLION FROM THE YEAR BEFORE, AND WE HAVE BUDGETED OUR SALES TAX PROJECTIONS AT $151 MILLION FOR 2025. AND WE ARE ESTIMATING THAT INCREASE OF 1.5%. THE ONEIDA INDIAN NATION REVENUE CONTINUES TO BE A BOON TO THIS GOVERNMENT'S FINANCES AND THE 
          [00:20:05]
COUNTY. THIS UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP CONTINUES TO BE THE BEST IN THE STATE AND COUNTRY FOR TRIBAL NATIONS AND GOVERNMENTS. I'M PROUD OF IT, AND YOU SHOULD BE TOO. TEN YEARS AGO, THE BASELINE FOR OUR SLOT REVENUE FOR OUR FOR SLOT MACHINE REVENUE FOR THE COUNTY WAS $12 MILLION. A YEAR. 
          IN 2025, THAT NUMBER IS ESTIMATED AT 23 MILLION. OUR CAPITAL BUDGET CONTINUES TO INVEST WISELY WHILE KEEPING OUR DEBT BURDEN LOW. YOU'LL RECALL WE DID NOT BORROW THIS YEAR, AND LOOKING AT THE COMPTROLLER TO MAKE SURE I'M SAYING THINGS RIGHT, BUT WE HAVE NOT BORROWED. 
          WE WERE ABLE TO NOT DO THAT FOR PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME IN. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY YEARS. I KNEW THAT RICK WOULD DO THAT. I. THIS YEAR'S CAPITAL BUDGET REQUEST CAME IN IN OVER $60 MILLION. I REDUCED THAT NUMBER TO 21.6 MILLION. AND WE WERE RETIRED. JUST OVER 19 MILLION IN DEBT. WE DO NEED TO. WE DO NEED TO CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. AND THIS STRATEGICALLY DOES THIS. WE NEED TO INVEST IN MVCC AND THE MODERNIZATION AND EFFICIENCY OF OUR GOVERNMENT, ALL WHILE REHABBING AND FIXING THE BUILDINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DESTROYED DURING THE TORNADO. BUT I WANT ALL OF YOU TO UNDERSTAND A HARD REALITY. OUR REVENUE STREAMS FLUCTUATE, AND YOU KNOW THAT SALES TAX WILL NOT GO UP FOREVER. NATION REVENUE WON'T ALWAYS INCREASE AT THE SAME PACE. WE HAVE TO BE COGNIZANT OF THOSE POTENTIAL OUTCOMES. THIS GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENT CANNOT CONTINUE TO BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE WITH THE FINANCIAL STRUCTURE, THE WAY IT IS. WHEN PREPARING THE BUDGET, WE MUST TAKE A HARD LOOK AT EVERYTHING. WE MADE TOUGH CALLS OF WANTS VERSUS NEEDS. INITIAL DEPARTMENT REQUESTS CAME IN AT $471 MILLION. WE ORIGINALLY REDUCED THAT FIGURE TO 457 MILLION, UP UNTIL MONDAY. JUST THIS PAST MONDAY, I WAS CONSIDERING A MODEST PROPERTY TAX INCREASE. I DECIDED AGAINST IT. IT WAS A HARD CALL. THAT WAS ONLY MADE POSSIBLE BY THE PAST 17 YEARS OF SOUND FISCAL FOUNDATION. AFTER THAT DECISION, AFTER MAKING THAT DECISION, WE THEN MADE A FINAL CUT FROM DISCRETIONARY SPENDING ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS, REDUCING THE REQUESTS. ANOTHER $9 MILLION ON THE STRENGTH OF THOSE NUMBERS, I AM PROPOSING FOR THE 12TH YEAR IN A ROW THAT THIS BUDGET CARRY NO INCREASE TO THE PROPERTY TAX LEVY. FOR 12 YEARS, EVERYBODY CLAPS. AT THAT POINT. YOU COULD CLAP AT SOME OF THE OTHER STUFF TOO. SO. BUT AS AS THE SONG GOES, THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING. IN 2025, WE HAVE SOME HARD CHOICES TO CONSIDER, QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ANSWERED. CAN WE CONTINUE THE CHOICE OF KEEPING VILLAGES WHOLE ON THEIR PROPERTY TAX COLLECTIO? CAN WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE ENGINEERING WORK TO ASSIST AND FACILITATE LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES IN THEIR LARGE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS FOR FREE? CAN WE CONTINUE TO SHARE NATION REVENUE WITH ALL LOCAL GOVERNMENTS? CAN WE CONTINUE TO FUND SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS LIKE FLOOD MITIGATION? CAN WE CONTINUE TO AID MUNICIPALITIES THROUGH PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES THAT DON'T REQUIRE THEM TO HAVE ANY SKIN IN THE GAME? AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, CAN WE CONTINUE TO USE AN OUTDATED SALES TAX FORMULA THAT DOESN'T MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS GOVERNMENT? I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE ALL THINKING. I'VE BEEN SINGING THIS SONG FOR 18 YEARS. WE HAVE TRIED IT EVERY OTHER WAY, AND WHILE IT HAS ENABLED MANY LOCAL MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS TO AVOID MAKING HARD CHOICES, IT LEAVES THIS GOVERNMENT WITH NOTHING BUT HARD CHOICES. NOW, MANY OF YOU KNOW I'M A BIG FRANK SINATRA FAN, AND TO SLIGHTLY PARAPHRASE THAT, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD NOT THIS ONE. NOW IS THE 
          [00:25:02]
TIME TO DO IT OUR WAY. TOGETHER WE HAVE TAKEN BOLD STEPS TO MAKE THIS COUNTY LOOK BETTER, FEEL BETTER AND BE BETTER. ALL OF US HAVE HEARD IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, AND IT CANNOT BE DENIED. ONEIDA COUNTY IS VASTLY DIFFERENT THAN IT WAS TEN YEARS AGO. WE RECENTLY PRODUCED AN AD FOR THE WORLD LACROSSE BOX CHAMPIONSHIP HELD AT THE ADIRONDACK BANK CENTER IN TEXAS, AND IF YOU MISSED IT, IT WAS BROADCAST ON ESPN. OVER THE COURSE OF THAT TOURNAMENT, ALONG WITH OTHER PIECES. AND IT WAS GREAT TO SEE ON ESPN, JUST LIKE WE SAW DURING THE WORLD WOMEN'S WOMEN'S WORLD HOCKEY. ONEIDA COUNTY IN UTICA, NEW YORK, AND OUR REGION BEING TOUTED ACROSS THE GLOBE. BUT THAT AD SAID THIS THAT WE PRODUCED RIGHT NOW IN THE VERY CENTER OF UPSTATE NEW YORK. THERE'S A REGION THAT'S BUSTLING WITH NEW OPPORTUNITY. STATE OF THE ART INDUSTRY, EDUCATION AND INNOVATION WITH HISTORY, WORLD CLASS CULTURE, WORLD CLASS CUISINE. EXCUSE ME, AND NEW AND EXCITING THINGS TO DO. THIS IS ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK, AND WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED. WE HAVE HAD HARD TIMES OVER MY YEARS HERE AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING, WE HAD OTHER DIFFICULTIES. WE HAD AN ECONOMY THAT TOOK A MAJOR DIVE. WE'VE HAD FLOODING AND STORMS FIVE TIMES IN A TEN YEAR SPAN, AND WE'VE HAD A WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC AND NOW A MAJOR TORNADO, AND YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW IT. WHY? BECAUSE OUR PEOPLE ARE RESILIENT. OUR BUSINESSES CONTINUE TO GROW. THIS GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO BE THE CATALYST FOR NEW IDEAS, NEW INVESTMENT, ALL WHILE PROTECTING AND SERVING OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE ONEIDA COUNTY AND WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED. I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ON THIS BUDGET GOING FORWARD, AND I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, YOUR WORK, YOUR COMMITMENT TO THIS GREAT COUNTY. THANK YOU. GOD BLESS ONEIDA COUNTY, THE GREAT STATE OF NEW YORK AND THE UNITED STATES. THANK YOU. 
          MOTION ADJOURNED. MEETING ADJOURNED. WAYS AND MEANS
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.