MAYVILLE – Lawmakers in Chautauqua County approved the proposed 2020 budget Wednesday night, a spending plan that increases taxes.
Four lawmakers, Terry Niebel, Martin Procter, Elisabeth Rankin and Dave Wilfong voted against the spending plan, saying they did not support the changes made by their colleagues, but rather, the original plan introduced by County Executive George Borrello last month.
“If Government raises additional revenues it finds a way to spend it,” said Legislator Terry Niebel. “Let’s let our taxpayers keep their money, let’s go with the county executive and the department head’s budget, let’s vote no on this amendment.”
“In my district I have people in Jamestown, who many of them are at the high end of property taxes, they paid more in twenty years of taxes then they for their house originally,” said Legislator Elisabeth Rankin. “Then I’ve got at the other end of my district people who struggle to make ends meet and can’t afford any more property taxes.”
Borrello’s plan aimed to use money from the county’s undesignated fund balance to cover a million-dollar gap; keeping the tax rate the same, but raising the tax levy.
Lawmakers instead passed a tax rate increase of 8 cents in lieu of using the undesignated fund balance.
Under the new increase, a home valued at $100,000 would see a tax increase of $8.
What does this mean for businesses? Take a stroll through Falconer and down Allen st. We need to bring businesses back into town to help offset the tax burden on the businesses that are still here before more companies pull out of the area to reduce costs.