AP photo Republicans say the new budget proposal includes overspending while the State Association of Counties is asking for more relief.

New York’s 62 counties, including Chautauqua, are once again seeking sympathy about potential federal cuts that could impact residents statewide. In a news release issued Wednesday afternoon, the New York State Association of Counties is urging Albany to take action on federal reductions that will impact the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

“New York’s counties are facing a fiscal reckoning,” said Stephen Acquario, executive director of the association. “Recent federal actions threaten to shift billions of dollars in new costs onto local governments and local taxpayers. Counties are not here to complain — we are here to partner — but without strong state action, these cost shifts will fall squarely on local property taxpayers and put essential services at risk.”

At a time when Republicans in the capital and their candidate for governor Bruce Blakeman are criticizing a massive $260 billion spending plan introduced last month, counties are already begging for relief. In the meantime, aid to schools will be increasing while towns, villages and cities rely on a small portion of state funding.

For its part, NYSAC expressed support for several components of the executive budget, including the continuation of the cap on local Medicaid costs, which they emphasized remains the foundation of county fiscal stability, saving counties and New York City billions of dollars annually.

At the same time, the news release said, counties stressed holding the line on state cost shifts alone will not be enough to offset the unprecedented federal changes bearing down on local budgets — particularly in SNAP administration, where counties could face hundreds of millions of dollars annually in new costs and fees totaling more than $1 billion statewide.

What may be the biggest problem since 2011 — during Andrew Cuomo’s first year as governor — is the state refuses to make tough choices when it comes to spending. Cuomo’s legacy will be tied to green energy, the COVID nursing home crisis and harassment charges that led to him stepping away.

Early on, however, he was at his best and fairly unpopular. His choice to freeze wages for state employees following the 2008 recession ultimately helped stabilize finances at the time.

Since then, a free-for-all has been evident. It rewards overspending by schools and municipalities that are consistently losing populations. Counties are no different.

Statewide, the numbers are dreadful. Over the last five years, according to seethroughny.net, county governments have increased overall employment numbers from 77,762 in 2021 to 86,402 in 2025 — that’s 11.1%. Wages also have ballooned by 25% over that same time period, starting at $5 billion to a total of $6.2 billion last year.

Here at home, the trend is similar. Chautauqua County’s workforce has grown by 10% to 1,374 employees from 1,234 over five years while excessively doling out the cash. Salaries that totaled $56.5 million in 2021 spiked to $74.9 million in 2025 — a whopping 32.5% difference.

These actions, we note again, occurred thanks to local and unapologetic Republican rule. The County Legislature — dominated by the so-called conservative sector — continues to approve big pay hikes for employees in recent years. Many of those were recommended by Deborah Makowski, the county’s human resource director, who currently stands as the second highest paid employee at $175,946 and entering her fourth year in the position.

Not once since COVID have county reductions ever been discussed. In fact, your Legislature is holding on to more than $38 million of your dollars while continuing to raise your taxes.

That surplus is not about county leaders being fiscally responsible. It is downright miserly.

It also is an indication they know a “reckoning” that is tied to federal cuts — ironically tied to Republicans — is likely looming. By the way, none of these employee totals or salary hikes were mandated by the state. They are locally negotiated.

“Counties are being asked to absorb federal decisions that we did not make and cannot control,” said NYSAC President Phil Church, Oswego County administrator. “If the state does not step in as a partner, these costs will translate directly into higher property taxes or painful cuts to core services that communities depend on. Protecting affordability for New Yorkers means protecting counties from these federal actions.”

Across New York, county staffing and payroll appears to be growing at unsustainable numbers. Maybe it’s time the state Association of Counties starts advocating for some rightsizing. Its leadership shares some blame in high taxes if they are not controlling the runaway payroll line.

John D’Agostino is editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.