Albany County Executive Dan McCoy has unveiled his budget proposal.
For the 11th straight year, McCoy, a Democrat, plans to reduce property taxes.
“We're the capital of New York,” McCoy said. “As the capital, all nonprofits are here. All services are here, and I think we do a great job. And I take pride in this budget. I take a ton of pride in this budget because again, 11 years of not raising taxes, of getting to what we do, providing the services we're providing, says a lot.”
However, he says the $847 million budget wasn’t easy to put together. He pointed to what he calls unfunded mandates, which make up 61 percent of the budget, and called on state legislators for help.
“We're holding fast,” McCoy said. “We're doing extraordinary programs, delivering great services. But I can't continue to do that when I have bad partners in the Capital District not helping us control their spending.”
McCoy says the budget, a 3 percent increase over 2024, focuses on investments in underserved communities. McCoy says the county has made arrangements with United Way of the Greater Capital Region, the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and local food pantries to get food delivered directly to those in need, a $500,000 investment.
Legislator Carolyn McLaughlin, a Democrat from the 1st District, says ARPA funding, which must be allocated by the end of 2024, was a “good shot in the arm.” But she says the county must continue to support small businesses, especially those in underserved communities, as those funds wind down. McLaughlin chairs the Legislative Black Caucus.
“Hopefully those funds that are being used now will just spur on more funding that will come in the future,” McLaughlin said. “We'll get organizations to operate effectively, and then have an opportunity to seek even more funding in the future.
The budget, proposed by McCoy Monday, would save county employees nearly $4 million in prescription drugs and cut childcare costs for employees. McCoy adds $800,000 would be committed to expanding county programs and services to support addiction recovery. McCoy says recently, $2.3 million in opioid settlement funds was granted to 12 organizations.
McCoy’s proposal reduces the effective tax rate to $2.73 per $1,000 in assessed property value for 2025, down from $2.84 per $1,000 for 2024 and a more than 30 percent reduction over the last decade. Albany County is ranked 11th in the state for lowest taxes.
Republican County Legislator Mark Grimm, who represents the 28th District, says there’s more for the county to do to support taxpayers. Grimm is a ranking member on the finance committee. Grimm, who is in his third four-year term, says he is largely in favor of the budget, but contends finances aren’t as tight as McCoy let on.
“I just think we could do a little bit more, given the sort of investments we've made,” Grimm said. “We created a new fund for tech businesses that's now up $14 million in three years. So, there's money available there.”
McCoy's budget unveiling comes weeks after he ultimately ruled out interest in serving as the Albany County Airport Authority CEO after reports that his former deputy county executive was forced out to pave the way for McCoy to take over.
The legislature’s Audit and Finance Committee plans a series of meetings as part of its review process beginning October 24.