Budget

Cuomo details local government bailout plan

Karen Dewitt — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:55:21 +0000

Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined his proposal for a new local government restructuring board to help financially distressed communities deal with long term budget problems.

State of Onondaga County is financially sound

Ellen Abbott — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:11:23 +0000

Unlike many other local governments in New York state, Onondaga County has weathered the recent fiscal crisis, and come out on firm financial footing. In her State of the County address Tuesday night, County Executive Joanie Mahoney credits recent budget cutting tactics for the difference.

Local governments will be graded on fiscal health

Ellen Abbott — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:24:20 +0000

Municipalities and school districts in New York state will soon get graded on their fiscal health. A fiscal monitoring system run by the state comptroller's office will publicly identify local governments that may be heading towards a fiscal cliff.

Syracuse reducing use of criticized hiring practice

Ryan Delaney — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 21:16:04 +0000

The city of Syracuse has reduced the number of city workers it has on the rolls of a non-city run agency as a way of skirting civil service rules.

New Medicaid program aims to cut costs, improve care

Ellen Abbott — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 10:59:00 +0000

New York state's attack on ballooning Medicaid costs has started with a program that offers coordinated care for certain Medicaid patients. State Medicaid Director Jason Helgerson says the program called Health Homes, is aimed at the people who have the most complex Medicaid charts.

Cuomo says local governments need to cope with tax cap

Karen Dewitt — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:01:11 +0000

Governor Andrew Cuomo is telling local governments they are on their own when it comes to coping with a recently imposed property tax cap, saying it is up to county and city government leaders to make the hard choices, and to stop complaining.

Onondaga County plans to privatize nursing home

Olivia Fecteau — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 20:10:53 +0000

On October 9, the Onondaga County Legislature will vote on its 2013 budget. The budget totals $1.24 billion, approximately two million dollars larger than last year. The controversy that surfaced at the budget’s public hearing Thursday evening was about ownership changes for Van Duyn Home and Hospital, the county’s nursing home.

Onondaga County proposes budget that dips into fund balance

Ellen Abbott — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 13:24:34 +0000

Onondaga County lawmakers begin going over County Executive Joanie Mahoney's proposed budget with a fine tooth comb Monday. The final result will most likely look different from $1.25 billion plan Mahoney proposed last week.

Counties face budget crunch in New York state

Ellen Abbott — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:06:33 +0000

Fall means budget season in counties across New York State. Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney makes her budget pitch to lawmakers Friday. Many governments are facing the same pressures.

"Super control board" idea to help struggling municipalities still possible

Ellen Abbott — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:44:45 +0000

New York State continues looking for ways to help local governments on the edge of fiscal collapse. And, the idea of a "super control board" is still a possibility.

Syracuse "nuns on the bus" oppose Republican budget proposal

Ellen Abbott — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:51:53 +0000

The Republican federal budget proposal is being targeted by a Washington-based movement called Nuns on the Bus. Earlier this month, a group of nuns and others from local faith communities traveled around Syracuse in a school bus to spread their message in solidarity with the movement.

Cuomo defends property tax cap

Joanna Richards — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 19:30:43 +0000

Governor Andrew Cuomo was at Fort Drum yesterday, touring a former coal plant that's being converted to a biomass facility. He responded to questions from reporters about the statewide property tax cap.

Miner hosts meeting to discuss upstate cities' financial woes

Ryan Delaney — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:54:00 +0000

Some of upstate New York's mayors are putting their brains together to deal with looming fiscal nightmares.

OCC gets less money from county than it asked for

Ellen Abbott — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:39:22 +0000

Onondaga County lawmakers approved the county's share of the Onondaga Community College's operating and capital budgets yesterday. But, the two- year school didn't get quite what it asked for.

More sales tax revenue could mean more investment in Syracuse

Ellen Abbott — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:00:54 +0000

More projected sales tax revenue for the City of Syracuse could mean some new programs, including seed money for a new downtown senior center. Lawmakers say they want the extra spending to be an investment in the city.

Young and old share opinions on Syracuse budget

Ellen Abbott — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:38:32 +0000

The very young and the very old were the focus of the Syracuse City Budget public hearing Wednesday night. Citizens had the opportunity to tell lawmakers what they think of Mayor Stephanie Miner's proposed $662 million spending plan.

John DeFrancisco on The Campbell Conversations

Grant Reeher — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:59:34 +0000

State lawmakers have passed their second straight on time budget. Speaking with Grant Reeher just before the budget passed, Syracuse area State Senator John DeFrancisco describes the budget process and discusses whether or not it has improved in recent years.

The EPIC program returns just in time

Ellen Abbott — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:24:46 +0000

When state lawmakers approved the budget this week, they restored a program that's vital to many senior citizens. Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage, known as EPIC, helps low and moderate income seniors with co-pays for prescription drugs not covered by Medicare Part-D. When it was defunded last year, seniors were forced to pay 25% of the costs of prescriptions. This made necessary prescriptions unaffordable for some.

Pharmacists at drug stores like the Gifford and West Pharmacy in Syracuse ran into a lot of problems when EPIC stopped helping seniors pay for prescription drugs. Gifford pharmacist Jim McLaughlin encountered many patients who had high co-pays and were forced to pay.

"It ends up costing more. Patients go without their medications and their symptoms start to come back, or they end up being hospitalized," McLaughlin said.

Governor Cuomo is late with the mid year financial report

Karen Dewitt — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:45:06 +0000

The governor says he’s waiting for some uncertainties in the world markets to stabilize before updating the state’s financial picture, and has delayed releasing the state’s mid year budget report, which was due in late October.

Cuomo budget officials have said they are also waiting to count some tax collections delayed by the hurricanes. They’ve also post poned some scheduled budget hearings that have been part of an effort in recent years to jump start the budget process.

Onondaga County lawmakers pass budget, cut funding for Air One helicopter

Joyce Gramza — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:27:16 +0000

They worked later into the evening Tuesday, but Onondaga County lawmakers passed a budget that cut more than $5 million from County Executive Joanie Mahoney's proposed budget.

Property taxes will go up in most county towns, but will go down in every village except Fabius. Residents in the towns of Clay and Salina will see the biggest tax increases.

Republican Kevin Holmquist of Manlius says it took weeks of work to take the 3 villages he represents from a 10% tax increase to a 5% tax decrease.