The Cayuga County Legislature voted to adopt the county'wide 2026 operating budget at its Ways & Means meeting after extended public comment and floor debate over proposed tax rate increases and cuts to county staff.

Lawmakers debated competing approaches to close a multi‑million dollar structural shortfall. Several legislators argued for a steeper tax increase to avoid repeated cuts in future years; others warned that large, immediate increases would hit residents on fixed incomes. The body defeated a motion to enact a smaller 6.5% tax increase before approving the final budget motion.

Why it matters: the vote sets the county's fiscal footprint for the coming year, including how much the county will draw from fund balance and which services face reductions. Several public speakers said cuts to planning and public‑facing programs will reduce the county's capacity to secure state grants and to support towns and villages.

Public comment and pressure shaped the debate. Tad Patterson, reading on behalf of local farm organizations, opposed a previously discussed 12.5% rate increase, arguing it would disproportionally burden farmland owners and reduce investment on working acres. Resident Chad Hayden said vehicle registration fees would hit tenants and low‑income residents hardest: "I just I just wish you wouldn't do it because it it hurts the people who are most fragile." Nathaniel Rogers, a planning department employee facing a layoff, said his role helps bring grant funding to the county: "I personally make $64,800 a year. I have personally brought in grants worth $48,000 last year." His testimony and others' highlighting lost grant capacity were repeatedly referenced during debate.

Fiscal details discussed on the record included multiple fund‑balance and revenue estimates. Legislators cited a projected additional tax revenue figure of about $2.9 million tied to a 6.5% change and a broader fund‑balance draw in the $3.3 million range during deliberations; committee members also discussed long‑term targets the county's auditors recommended for stabilizing reserves.

Key votes and next steps: the legislature recorded a roll call after debate and approved the budget motion. Before finalizing the budget, members also voted on several related items: they tabled multiple year‑end levy resolutions pending final budget numbers, approved routine contract renewals and program funding acceptances, and recorded separate votes on personnel and museum funding measures that remain in committee records. The county executive and department heads will now begin implementation steps for budgeted changes; the legislature indicated further follow‑up and monitoring during 2026.

Quotes from the meeting capture the divide: "We have to look at every avenue of revenue," said one legislator urging action to address the deficit; another warned that "this is not a soft landing" for elderly residents and urged more gradual approaches.

What happens next: the legislature indicated certain resolutions tabled until the first January meeting and said staff would return with refined language or additional detail for personnel and year‑end accounting items. The budget adoption itself is the latest step in a multi‑meeting process; departments affected by staffing or programmatic cuts will be notified of changes consistent with the record of votes and motions made at the meeting.