Onondaga County Courthouse
Credit: Mike Greenlar | Central Current

The Onondaga County Legislature on Tuesday afternoon passed the county’s 2026 budget in a 12 to 4 vote along party lines this afternoon. 

While Republicans praised the $1.6 billion budget for its low property taxes, Democrats said that the budget did not do enough to address the needs of the people. 

“Our biggest accomplishment on this budget is that there’s no increase in the [tax] levy,” said Majority Leader Brian May. “That’s important.” 

The property tax rate will decrease 11 percent next year. 

The county’s property tax rate has declined by 42 percent since 2018, according to the budget presentation given last month by County Executive Ryan McMahon. 

Its tax levy, or the amount of money the county actually collects, is the same as last year. 

“It’s one of the best budgets I’ve seen in years,” said Legislator Kevin Meaker. He praised the tax decrease as a “big, big win.” 

Legislator Maurice Brown, who voted against the budget, said the “financial savings come at a moral cost.” He objected to the county’s large unspent rainy day fund, and said that more needed to be spent on social services. 

“We’re saving [money] on the backs of children and families who already don’t have enough,” said Brown, specifically naming homelessness as something that could have been addressed. “This might be fiscally responsible today, but it’s morally irresponsible going forward.” 

Other members of the legislature pushed back. “I think it’s important that we address the problems that we see in our community in a sustainable way,” said Legislator Cody Kelly. “It’s one thing to look at the dollars that we have in the bank–and surely we could spend those dollars in a lot of different ways and do a lot of good.  But what happens when that money goes away?”

The budget includes $4.2 million to fight the county’s lead crisis, and $3.3 million to increase daycare coverage. 

Legislature Minority Leader Nodesia Hernandez missed Tuesday’s vote. She is in the hospital, Brown said. 

Here’s what else is notable in the new budget: 

Eyes in the sky

The budget includes a one-time $750,000 interfund transfer to support a drone project. 

NUAIR, a Central New York-based company, has a “drone as a first responder” pilot project which has already been launched in Oswego County. 

The addition comes amidst a controversial city government attempt to implement its own drone program. 

“This isn’t exactly the same program,” said county communications director Justin Sayles. “The city’s program, as I understand it, would deploy drones first. The county program would be much more selective.” 

That could mean sending drones ahead of first responders or using them when it was too dangerous to send a person to a 911 call, McMahon said in the September budget presentation. 

The budget also allotted $6.75 million for a new, replacement helicopter. Onondaga County has had a helicopter for fifty years, using the same one it uses today for the last 25 years. The technology is now outdated, McMahon said. The project will be put out to bid. 

Fines for lead hazard violations

As the new year begins, Onondaga County will begin collecting fines for violations of lead hazard compliance. The county will fine landlords who do not  mitigate lead hazards on time. The county could collect $500 from the owner every 60 days past the compliance date, until a maximum of $2,500 had been reached. 

The new local law was passed unanimously. 

The law is designed to provide a level of accountability to the lead remediation process, said Cody Kelly, who sponsored it. 

“My goal isn’t to keep people fined. My goal is to get lead remediated,” said Legislator Dan Romeo, who expressed gratitude for this new local law just before it came to a vote. He said he wished the fines were higher. 

Both legislators expressed that it was not the only solution to the lead crisis, which will need work from a number of angles. 

Bodycams and police “surge initiative funding” 

Having upgraded bodycams for road patrol deputies last year, the county will now expand them to the custody and corrections division. Deputies in these divisions work at the Onondaga County jail and correctional facility. 

The county will also provide new vehicles for law enforcement. 

An additional $300,000 will be allocated to support “public safety and surge initiatives.” 

Read more of Central Current’s coverage

Laura Robertson is a staff reporter covering Onondaga County. Prior to joining Central Current, she lived on the edge of the Bering Strait in Nome, Alaska, where she worked as a reporter for a year. She...