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Summary of Monroe County Budget Cuts Effecting Conservation and the Environment

(The "Monroe County Property Tax Stability Plan" for 2002 & 2003)

        The following information has been compiled from news reports, phone calls to agencies and written information from agencies on the effect of the proposed Monroe County budget cuts on conservation, environmental services and nature education programs for 2002 & 2003. We have spoken with a number of agency heads and summarize these talks below.

    Cornell Cooperative Extension

        If the worst case scenario occurs and all Monroe County funding to the Cooperative Extension is cut as proposed it will result in the agency being eliminated. Current County funding for the agency is $470,000. Closure will include eliminating the 4-H education programs as well as the associated County agencies like the Monroe County Soil and Water Agency. Because the Cooperative Extension operates on a matching fund basis the elimination of all $470,000 County funds will result in the loss of an additional $1,607,000 funding supports from state and federal sources. The closure of Cornell Cooperative Extension would be the first such closure in 89 years of New York State involvement with Cooperative Extensions. Ref: Margaret O’Neill, Executive Director & D&C article 8/3/02 "Eliminating Cornell co-op Unit Would Be a State First"

Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation Districts

        The County proposes to cut all funding for the Soil & Water Districts. They currently support the office at $87,000 which results in multiplier state and federal grants and fund raising of $400,000. These funds are obtained by the Soil & Water office and are distributed on a "pass through" basis to other offices and programs. Grants are passed on for such projects as the Oatka Creek study ($360,000), the Braddock’s Bay Watershed project ($25,000), and the Northrup Creek -Long Pond watershed study ($30,000).

Ref. Paula Smith, staff 8/27/02

Water Education Collaborative

        The County proposes to cut the entire Monroe County grant for their third year. If other supports can not be found the Collaborative will close down. So far the WEC is on target to be independent in three years. If the WEC closes a critical linkage group on water related issues will terminate.

Ref. Margit Brazda, Director  

Cummings Nature Center

        The Rochester Museum and Science Center has been facing a $300,000 budget cut for 2002. The County proposes to cut an additional $600,000 for 2003 which will result in a drastic curtailment of services. The Cummings Nature Center will close and may be sold. There will be no more star shows at the Strasenburgh Planetarium. There will be major reductions of services given in the past to the 45,000 students and 100,000 visitors. Funding the County gives RMSC leverages between $320,000 to $800,000 in sales taxes and between $4 to $10 million in revenue for related businesses.

Monroe County Bureau of Environmental Quality

        Two funded offices under the Bureau of Environmental Quality ($607,500) will be eliminated as well as the Bureau itself. The Water Quality Planning Bureau (Margie Peet) which monitors the health of our streams, Genesee River, Irondequoit Bay and Ontario Lake beaches will be eliminated, so we will not know of the effects on our drinking water supplies. This department also works on diverse health issues such as beach algae, botulism, chemical pollution and West Nile virus monitoring. "This is very shortsighted. We are eliminating one of the premier programs in New York State in attacking coastal problems and water quality problems."

Prof. Joe Markarewicz.

The Monroe County Environmental Management Council

        The Monroe County Environmental Management Council has been radically cut and will be eliminated if they can not have $72,000 restored for 2003. Suzanne Quarterman has retired. There is no plan for what will happen to the accumulated records of over 25 years of monitoring the local Monroe County environment. Data bases include locations of hazardous waste sites, wetland records dating back 50 years, accumulated data on most environmentally threatened areas in Monroe County. 2,000 volunteer hours given by citizens for the environment through EMC last year will be cease.

Close 20 Monroe County Parks During The Week

        The County parks has taken the brunt of county layoffs with 33 County employees notified they were losing their jobs. Most County parks are to be closed during week days but golf courses and the zoo will remain open. The County plans to lay off or eliminate a total of 700 positions in all departments in 2002/3. "Rochester’s mayor says a proposal to close Monroe County parks during the week to save money ‘...is not only reckless but a clear violation’ of a longstanding agreement with the city to run many city-owned parks." D&C 8/20/02.

Among parks to close would be Durand-Eastman, Genesee Valley, Highland, Ontario Beach, Seneca and Tryon.

        Information and Responses on Monroe County Budget Cut Proposals 9/9/02

1) Agencies to receive no funding in 2003

        The following agencies will not receive any funding from the County in 2003: Memorial Art Gallery, Geva Theater, Genesee Country Village, George Eastman House, WXXI, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Humane Society and the Legal Aid Society.

2) Consolidations

        The following agencies will have certain functions and activities consolidated into other agencies overhauling the delivery of services: Health Department, Social Services, Mental Health and Aging Bureau, Youth Bureau.

3) Parks Program Reductions

       *Parks = $2.2 million    *Swimming at Ontario Beach Park = $90,000

4) Other Reductions

         *Monroe County Library = cut by 20%   *Youth Bureau and Office of Aging = reduced by 40%   * Tobacco Prevention Program = $250,000

        Ref. Democrat & Chronicle 8/3/02

Has Jack Doyle Kept the Property Taxes Stable?

    Ref. Letter to editor: City Newspaper, 8/28/02. Peter Collinge.

    "Doyle has cut the county property tax steadily from $8.74 per $1,000 assessed value in 1995 when Doyle assumed office to $8.00 in 2002. This decline in the property tax rate, while surely welcomed by the developers who support Doyle, has left the county unable even to keep up with inflation. And the most dramatic cut in the tax rate came this past year from $8.31 in 2001 to $8 in 2002, at a time when the County was already suffering financial problems, but also coincidentally at a time when County Legislature seats were up for election." [Total property tax reductions by Doyle administration = 8.5% over 9 years.]

 "Have You Had Enough?" City Newspaper editorial, Mary Anna Towler - 8/21/02

        "Jack Doyle did not cause all the county’s current budget problems. A lot of the county’s programs are mandated by law. [But] Many of his critics ...believe he could have lessened the pain by raising taxes moderately over the past few years. ... " I

Timing (Approximate)

        Sept to early October = Five Member County Leg Commission to review budget cuts October 10th = Formal Monroe County Budget to Legislature November = County Legislature vote on budget (may be delayed to December 12th)

Five Member Commission to Review Budget: Thomas S. Richards, Kenneth D. Bell, Charles Plosser, Dean William Simon School of Business, Univ. of Rochester, Ann Burr One Democrat to be appointed

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