Read the AGENDA: The Committee of the Whole meets to vote on October 15
Meetings are being livestreamed right on the Allegany County website Alleganyco.gov
By Andrew Harris
Allegany County Legislators will be meeting in Belmont chambers to take an interesting step: Passing a local law to exceed the NYS property tax cap.
According to statements from the Board Chairman W. Brooke Harris, passing a local law to exceed the NYS two-percent cap is a necessary step to keep all options open in 2026.
The reality of the position Allegany County finds itself in has more unknowns than ever. Will the federal government slash NYS funding? By how much? Impacting which programs? How much of those cuts will be passed down to the county level?
With NYS already having openly admitted that large budget deficits are ahead, county leaders have reason to believe that they may be facing a large reduction in funding from Albany.
Should that reality materialize county budgets will have two options- increase taxes or slash services which would likely include workforce reductions. If Allegany County doesn’t leave the option to increase taxes open, they will be forced to suddenly reduce expenses or use county reserves to balance the budget.
In order to leave the option of exceeding the 2% tax cap open, the county must pass the local law now, despite not having a clear picture of future federal and state funding streams.
Prior to deciding on the tax cap law, legislators will vote on another local law to increase the salaries of four county officers, the Director of Public Works, the Public Health Director, and both Election Commissioners.
Scroll the embed below to read resolution allowing Allegany County to exceed the 2% tax cap for fiscal year 2026:
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE AGENDA October 15, 2025
