BY JIMMY LAWTON

North Country This Week

CANTON – A proposal to investigate cutting county taxes by 10% caused lengthy debate before falling to the wayside Monday.

St. Lawrence County Legislator David Forsythe said the county has done a good job of growing its fund balance in recent years and questioned if there was support in returning financial windfall, which he credited to sales tax collections back to the taxpayers.

His plan would have directed St. Lawrence County Administrator Ruth Doyle and the budget team to determine what a 10% tax cut, roughly $4 million, would look like.

The plan was immediately shot down by Legislator Tony Arquiett who said the county has roads, bridges and services that need more investment and said a 10% cut would do little to put actual money back in the pockets of property owners.

Legislator Rita Curran said she thought it was worth investigating, noting that many people are struggling to pay taxes. She acknowledged the cut might not be realistic, but was worth discussing the issue.

SLC Legislator Larry Denesha said he believed it was a noble idea, but said such a conversation should take place much earlier in the budget process. He also pointed out the county still charges a 1% tax on home heating property, which he has unsuccessfully lobbied to get rid of for several years.

Burke said the legislature as a whole needed to plan and prioritize. He said it’s possible after discussion that a 10% tax cut could be an option as Forsythe suggested or that more investment is needed in roads, bridges and services as Arquiett suggested, but that the planning needed to take place before any decisions were made.

Forsythe said there has been no task given to Doyle that she hasn’t been able to accomplish and said he was confident that her team could present a budget with the 10% cut.

He said that the growing county fund balance was largely due to the extra penny the county charges in sales tax, which he says was intended to be temporary. He said if the county is going to continue to collect it he thinks it’s time to reward property owners with a cut.

Chairman Bill Sheridan said he’d like to see the county look at the idea and suggested an amendment to look at getting rid of the home heating tax. Legislator James Reagen put forward the suggestion as a motion.

Legislator Joseph Lightfoot said the county isn’t as flush with money as some of his colleagues believe. He said that if the county has so much money it shouldn’t be bonding for construction projects. He also pointed out that the county’s fund balance is still under the recommended 16% of expenditures.

Treasurer Renee Cole who said that cutting the budget by 10% this year would mean the county would have to use fund balance in successive years to keep the rate down unless new revenues are found. She said there are many factors that would need to be considered before attempting such a drastic cut.

Acres said he was in favor of lowering taxes but said it should be down incrementally and logically.

The resolution failed to pass.

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