By CRAIG FREILICH

CANTON -- The St. Lawrence County Board of legislators approved a $234 million budget last night that should allow them to keep their promise of a more than 14 percent cut in property taxes next year.

But Legislator Dan Parker, a Republican from Potsdam who represents the 11th District, was the only member who voted against the budget because he is unhappy with the way the board got to its final figure.

"There was a lot of cost shifting -- not the best thing to do" at the last minute in order to reflect the absence of $1.5 million in casino compact money that the board had been counting on.

"It's not our place to second-guess the administrator and the department heads," Parker said. "Our role is to set policy that makes county spending sustainable, but we didn't do that. We just pulled money willy-nilly" to span the gap left by the absence of the $1.5 million.

"I just disagree," Parker said, "We pulled money from here and there so we could feel good" about presenting a reasonable-looking budget.

"I don't see that we have set the stage for sustainable government."

The board and administrator, along with department heads, devise a budget, "then we go and chop it, and add a few dollars here and there depending on who complains. That's not the way to do it."

As part of its commitment to state legislators who pushed through the state Senate and Assembly a one percent increase in the county's sales tax, the county promised to cut property taxes next year and to put a two-percent limit on property tax increases for the subsequent four years.

"It will be even more difficult to stay within the limits and constraints if we don't start now."

Parker did say he thinks that most of what's in the budget is appropriate, but he is concerned that continuing cuts to the Highway Department could leave it incapable of doing maintaining the county's bridges and roads, and the necessary work of other departments could be diminished.

The budget approved last night calls for a tax levy of $45 million, a reduction of 14.31 percent, and is projecting departmental revenue at $63 million, sales tax revenue at $58 million, state aid at $26 million and federal aid at $28 million.