For the past four years, the Tompkins County Legislature has continuously worked  to maintain a strong balance between keeping property taxes low and supporting the critical needs of Tompkins County residents. The economic downturn makes this harder than ever.

Total Budget: $155 million
Total Locally-Controlled Budget: $73 million
Total Property Tax Revenue: $38 million

The property tax is an important issue for everyone — regardless of political affiliation. The property tax is a regressive tax that does not care about one’s ability to pay, it only cares that one pays. As the property tax grows, it makes it increasingly difficult for those with low or fixed incomes, like the elderly, to stay in their homes. The fallout affects the very character of neighborhoods and communities in Ithaca. Nate and all of his colleagues on the Legislature recognize how important it is to craft budgets that are manageable for Tompkins County residents.

Nate has pushed for tighter and more sustainable budgets. As the Chair of the Government Performance and Workforce Relations Committee in 2009, Nate worked closely with County Administration to develop a pilot program for program evaluations and goal setting across county departments — an effort to improve the efficiency, quality, and delivery of county departments that will launch in 2010.

Government, though, cannot shy away from its responsibility to maintain a safety net for its people.  Nate has sponsored and supported budget amendments to restore funding to sliding-scale child care programs, anti-domestic violence educational programs, therapy and support groups for parents who have had their children in foster care, primary school family support programs, after-hours emergency shelters, and much more.

All documents that legislators receive about the budget are open to the public and can be found at the Tompkins County Budget Website.

As Budget and Capital Committee Chair in 2008

In 2008, Nate chaired the Budget and Capital Committee and lead budget deliberations. The Legislature passed its first bi-partisan and on-target budget in years without cutting away at important human services. Total spending increased only by 2.99%, and the property tax rate fell by 13.5%. Throughout the process, county legislators and department heads worked openly and transparently to lower costs without lowering quality.

The graph below shows the change in the property tax rate  for the adopted budgets between 2000 and 2010

The graph below shows the percent change in the property tax levy for the adopted budgets between 2000 to 2010. This is a more accurate indicator of spending because it shows the change in locally-controlled total spending.

County Departments: Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, Department of Assessment, Assigned Counsel, Board of Elections, Community Justice Center, County Administration, County Attorney, County Clerk, County Legislature, District Attorney, Department of Emergency Response, Facilities Division, Finance Department, Health Department, Highway Division, Human Rights Commission, Information Technology, Industrial Development Agency, Mental Health Department, Office for the Aging, Personnel Department, Planning Department, Probation and Community Justice, Public Information, Public Works, Sheriffs, Social Services, Solid Waste, Public Library, Weights and Measures, and Youth Services.