The Big Picture

The adopted budget keeps the property-tax levy at $146 million, lowers the property-tax rate to $2.93 per $1,000 of assessed value, and leaves more than $100 million in reserve. In the City of Syracuse, the county tax rate will be $9.95 per $1,000L

.Supporters called the plan fiscally responsible. But as I said during session, a balanced budget is not the same thing as a moral budget.

“We’re told we’re saving money,” I said on the floor, “but I don’t know what kind of storm we’re waiting for. If children are sleeping in cars and families can’t find housing, it’s already pouring.”
— quoted in Central Current

What Passed

1. 2026 County Budget

• Total: $1.609 billion

• Property-tax levy: $146 million

• Reserves used: $33 million in cash surplus appropriated

• Tax rate: Lowest in 50 years, according to legislative leadership

2. Personnel Changes

• New salary schedules for management-confidential employees and attorneys with step increases through 2026

• New titles created: Lead Systems Administrator, Social Services Case Manager and Supervisor, Chief Deputy Human Services Attorney, and others. These reflect growing needs within DSS and Family Court.

• Vacant positions were abolished across departments, including five in the Department of Social Services and three in Children and Family Services.

3. New Lead Law

• A new local law creates civil fines for landlords who fail lead hazard compliance of up to $500 every 60 days, capped at $2,500 per violation.

• I called the law a step forward but said the county still “treats lead poisoning as a minor problem instead of a crisis.” Syracuse.com

4. Drone Program and Public Safety Spending

• A $750,000 pilot program for aerial drones will launch under the sheriff’s office for emergency response and search and rescue operations. Supporters described it as “eyes in the sky.”

5. Sewer Rent Increase

• The sewer rent “unit” drops from 100,000 to 85,000 gallons per year, effectively a rate increase on ratepayers

• The Department of Water Environment Protection estimates this will raise revenues but shift costs to households whose usage stays the same.

6. Other Resolutions

• I do owe an apology here, we hadn’t been briefed about what are “routine changes” to our budget. So I voted against a measure that extended military pay and benefit coverage through 2026 for county employees on active duty. The bills read as if we were stopping the payments. If I had been briefed before the vote, I’d have voted in favor. 

• I voted against a SEQRA Request for a negative declaration at the Oak Orchard Wastewater Treatment Plant. The entire process feels rushed to me, we asked several questions at the meeting and did not get their responses before the vote. Without that information, I wasn’t comfortable voting in favor. 

• Nurses contract (2024–2027) with the New York State Nurses Association was approved, finalizing raises and retroactive benefits.

What Was Missed

While the budget includes some good policies, such as daycare funding and the lead law, it still fails to meet the moment.

• It leaves tens of millions in reserves untouched while homelessness and childhood lead poisoning rise.

• It prioritizes tax reductions and equipment upgrades over human services.

• It continues the pattern of under-investing in our human capital, even as vacancies increase and case loads remain high.

“We had the money. We had the opportunity. But we chose to maintain the status quo instead.”
— quoted in WAER News

My Vote

I voted No on the budget, not because I want the government to spend recklessly, but because I want it to spend righteously. I didn’t propose we build an aquarium, but 

“We could have used this budget to fight homelessness, to help kids sleeping in cars, to address the lead crisis, and to tackle chronic absenteeism in our schools,” I said in session. “Instead, we celebrate a lower tax rate that comes at a price paid by our children and our elders.”

Budgets are not just numbers. They are priority documents.

Looking Ahead

The budget’s passage is only the beginning. In the months ahead I will focus on:

• Oversight and accountability to ensure DSS, lead abatement, and youth funds reach their targets.

• Transparency in implementation by making budget performance data public and easy to read.

• Mid-year adjustments if key needs go unmet.