After 12 years with no tax levy increases, Oneida County’s proposed 2026 budget includes a 2.9% hike.
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente said putting together his 2026 operating budget involved a series of hard choices.
He presented the $560 million spending plan to the Oneida County Board of Legislators Wednesday afternoon, including the tax levy increase.
"With the current climate at the state and federal level, our revenues flattening, this adjustment is necessary to move the needle for the future," he said.
Picente said the county is reducing expenditures wherever possible, but sales tax revenue has been flat. The county was also hit by two tornadoes, which caused millions of dollars in damage.
It invested in flood mitigation projects, broadband expansion, and upgrades to its E-911 center.
But Picente said the main fiscal concern is the county’s mandated spending set by other levels of government. He added that New York state forces the county to provide services that make up more than 90 percent of the county’s allocations.
"They are handcuffed by dysfunctional governments in Washington, where they can't agree on anything, and in Albany, where if it's not needed in New York City, our voices are unheard. That's not Oneida County."
The budget will now go to the Oneida County Board of Legislators for a vote on Nov. 12.
