GOSHEN – The 2020 Orange County budget of some $816 million was approved in a 17 to four vote by the county legislature on Thursday. The negative votes were cast by minority Democrats.
Minority Leader Michael Paduch criticized the Republican majority for letting stand County Executive Steven Neuhaus’ plan to place the funding for 200 vacant positions in the fund balance. “I proposed, with the support of my Democratic colleagues, to eliminate 17 of those 200 positions saving the taxpayers over $1.1 million in taxation for 2020,” he said. “Not one of my Republican or Independence colleagues supported cutting taxes despite having the information from our auditors and our budget director, once again allowing money to be robbed from our taxpayers.”
Legislature Chairman Stephen Brescia took exception with Paduch’s characterization. “To say that we are robbing the taxpayers is just naive and irresponsible to say that,” he commented. “We are not robbing the taxpayers. This is their money in the budget no matter how we spend it. We are not just going out and opening up the checkbook and writing checks. We have infrastructure improvements; we have state mandates we have to deal with now from the liberal senate and assembly that we are dealing with, and the governor, with things that they don’t help us with, with the mandate relief.”
Republican legislators said increasing the fund balance aids in maintaining a solid bond rating.
