The Tompkins County Legislature passed an over $235 million budget for 2025 last week.
The budget passed in a 9-5 vote.
It includes a 2.72% increase in the tax levy. For someone with a home valued at $300,000, the median value for a home in the county, that increase means their property taxes will be $115 more.
The budget comes amid other increases to local tax levies in the city of Ithaca and its school district.
Tompkins County Administrator Lisa Holmes said the county legislature tried to avoid significantly increasing the cost of living for residents, while still maintaining county services.
“It's hard on constituents to face increases in their taxes. At the same time, in order to maintain or even provide any new services that our community wants, we do need to increase the budget,” she said.
Holmes said residents should not see any major changes in county services as a result of the budget.
She added that a significant amount of spending will go towards staffing costs. Employees salaries and benefits will cost the county over $89 million in 2025, in part because of an increase in health insurance costs and negotiated union salary increases.
She said the county is also dealing with another increase in costs - state mandates. These are the programs, standards and tax exemptions that counties have to pay into or provide as required by the state of New York.
“Counties have a requirement to provide them and no control over the cost,” Holmes said.
The county increased its spending on mandates by over a million dollars, according to Holmes. That money will go to mandated child care costs, psychiatric services, and Medicaid.
The legislature passed its Capital Program alongside the budget. The plan will guide major county developments and construction projects for the next five years.
It includes the creation of a year-round county emergency shelter. The shelter will be able to house up to 100 people and is estimated to be completed by the end of 2028.
There are also plans for the construction of an office building that will serve as a new center of government, scheduled to be completed in 2029. Additionally, the program includes plans to expand broadband access in the county.
A full breakdown of the budget is available on the county’s website.