Oswego County Legislature Approves 2022 Budget, Reducing Levy and Cutting Tax Rate

OSWEGO COUNTY – The Oswego County Legislature on Thursday night approved a 2022 budget that includes a 7% reduction in the county’s generic property tax rate.

The $218 million budget includes a real property tax levy of $44,709,272, a reduction of nearly 2% from the current budget year. The full valuation of the county increased by more than $345 million, from $6,089,431,969 to $6,437,196,662, creating a generic property tax rate of $6.95 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The 7% reduction follows a nearly 2.7% reduction in the rate in the 2021 budget, bringing the property tax rate down roughly 10% in a two-year span and creating the lowest county tax rate in a decade.

Owners of a property valued at $100,000 will pay roughly $695 in county property taxes in the coming year, representing a savings of more than $50 from the current year and $75 from the previous year.

“The 2022 budget lowers costs for county property owners while continuing to fund all the services residents have come to expect,” said Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup. “Reducing the tax burden for our residents remains one of the legislature’s top priorities and this tax rate cut marks the third year in a row property tax rates will be lowered, a testament to the hard work of our county workforce, department heads and legislators.”

Total county spending remains below 2020 levels, and the 2022 budget is more than $2 million below the state property tax cap. The county does not use unappropriated fund balance to pay for day-to-day operations, achieving an objective county leadership set forth several years ago to eliminate dependence on fund balance.

Oswego County Administrator Philip Church commended each of the county departments and leadership for continuing to provide core services and meet the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Church said the budget would serve the county well in the coming year and beyond, noting it keeps all county services intact without depleting unappropriated fund balance.

“The 2022 budget for Oswego County provides funding at responsible levels for the services mandated by law and those valued by our residents,” Church said. “This budget is noteworthy because it includes staff and resources to enhance public health services in the areas of disease response, health education and emergency planning. The budget also creates the Public Defender Office to improve legal representation for indigent defendants.”

The 2022 budget also funds a new county Office of Strategic Initiatives, a temporary department tasked with administering more than $22 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds provided to the county through the American Rescue Plan Act.

In addition to approving the 2022 budget, legislators on Thursday also approved several measures aimed at restoring the county’s capital reserve accounts, moving $7.4 million from unappropriated fund balance to reserve funds for bridges, roads, buildings, technology and equipment.

Actual property tax rates in each municipality can vary depending on the state’s equalization rate for the municipality, and the municipality’s direct costs of workers’ compensation and community college.

For more information on the county’s budget and finances, visit www.oswegocounty.com.