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"This is a difficult budget to share, and this is a difficult year that we are facing," she said. 

The details of the proposed $192 million spending plan reveal why it will be a challenging process for the county Legislature. It includes eliminating 23 positions — 19 full-time, 11 of which are vacant, and four part-time — from 13 departments. 

The staffing cuts would save the county $1.2 million. 

McNabb-Coleman told legislators that it is the first proposed county budget in at least two decades that eliminates positions. 

"This should signal to you and everyone in attendance that this is a very difficult budget," she said. 

The 2025 budget would raise the property tax levy by 4%, which is below the estimated cap of 4.25%. The county Legislature approved a resolution at its October meeting to schedule a public hearing on a local law to override the tax cap. But if the increase remains below the cap, the measure wouldn't be necessary. 

There are several budget pressures, according to McNabb-Coleman. The county is facing a 15% increase in Excellus BlueCross BlueShield health insurance premiums — "this alone is very devastating," she said — and up to a 46% increase in PPO health insurance premiums. 

Employee salaries will rise — a product of contracts that were ratified in 2023 — and the county's retirement contributions will increase by $765,000. 

The closure of the Cayuga County Office Building is also a factor. The building will be closed for up to two years due to the presence of vermiculite, which can contain asbestos, throughout the six-story facility. The budget includes $770,000 for costs associated with the closure and relocating county departments. 

McNabb-Coleman noted, though, that the budget "does not include the decisions we need to make about the county office building moving forward." Before the disruption caused by the vermiculite discovery, an engineering firm recommended a $52 million expansion and renovation project for the county office building, which was built nearly 60 years ago. No decision has been made on whether to move forward with the project. 

But ensuring the continuity of county operations, despite the building closure, remains a priority heading into 2025. 

"I'd like to say it's a brand new something or other, but it's not," McNabb-Coleman said. "It's just keeping ourselves going." 

The budget does include funding for the replacement of the chiller and roof at the Cayuga County Public Safety Building, which houses the sheriff's office and jail. That project will cost $2 million. The county also plans to use $1.1 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds toward a bridge project. 

In her closing remarks, McNabb-Coleman told legislators she believes it's a responsible proposal. 

"It is not an easy budget and it's not something I have ever dreamt about standing up here talking to you about," she said. "Certainly when I first became a legislator it was not during times like this, so it's all new territory for all of us." 

The next steps in the budget process include upcoming workshops on Tuesday and Thursday held by the Cayuga County Legislature's Ways and Means Committee. The 2025 budget must approved by Dec. 20.