Audit & Finance Committee Budget Review Session
The Audit & Finance Committee held a 2026 Agency Budgets Review, Session 1, focusing on presentations from elected officials. The County Executive's office budget presentation noted no changes beyond COLA adjustments, clarifying a discrepancy related to the Director of Strategic Planning budget line item due to a previously unneeded salary realignment. Discussions also covered the purpose of the Director of Strategic Planning/Economic Sustainability Coordinator role and confirmed the Homeless and Housing Solutions Summit is separate from the Enley property renovations. The County Clerk and Hall of Records presentation detailed grant activities, including a $150,000 shared services grant with the Town of Bethlehem for vital statistics records management and a pending $36,000 grant with the City of Watervliet. They are expanding online deed and mortgage availability back to the 1930s and continuing to add images to court records. A key focus was addressing staff retention by proposing an additional $5,000 raise for Clerk Ones and laborers, in addition to a 3% raise, to combat high turnover. Supervisory positions also received salary adjustments to align with other agency directors. The Clerk also noted a proposed 12% salary increase for the elected official, consistent with past practices.