Ed Diana”™s State of Orange County address this month was blunt. Like its 61 municipal counterparts, the county is faring as well as it can amid declining tax revenues and the drop in home prices. And it”™s not looking to the federal government or Albany to lead the way.
Diana said the time has come for the county to become self-reliant due to Albany”™s gridlock and the swirl of political innuendo circling Gov. David Paterson and staff.
If the assertion of going it alone was bold ”“ and successful regarding county health care innovations ”“ there was no promise to tear up state and federal checks that benefit county residents, and there was praise for a new public-funded emergency facility.
Diana boasted the lowest tax rate in the county”™s history, the closing of the men”™s shelter in the town of Chester and a new hospital, Orange Regional Medical Center, scheduled to open in 2011, as progress made despite the revenue decline; “We”™ve made many strides despite the economic upheaval,” he said.
Diana also touched on the challenges of attracting new business and retaining existing ones. “The Orange County Business Accelerator is a perfect example of how we can support industry and play a helpful, not hindering role to the business community,” said Diana. The move to Orange County by Shortline/Coach USA will also bring 250 jobs to the county, as well as 1,300 jobs that will open up when C&S Wholesale Grocers opens its distribution center. We are sending a strong message to the business community ”“ Orange County is open for business because we are serious about economic development.”
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Diana offered praise for the new $44 million Emergency Services Building which opened in late 2009, saying the recent blizzard put it to the test, “which it passed with flying colors.”
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The county”™s 8 percent unemployment rate combines with a record demand for social services and declining sales tax receipts. Orange County”™s revenue was down 5 percent from its 2008 numbers, “But despite that, we were able to maintain a stable tax rate, preserve essential services and maintain our AA bond rating,” said Diana.
Diana also talked about replacing the existing Government Center on Main Street, saying that county departments are configuring current and future space requirements for a proposed submission to the Legislature this spring.
Medicaid, the county”™s biggest expense, was also on the agenda. With the creation of a county bus loop, the Department of Social Services saved $850,000 in private cab fares for Medicaid patients. Diana hopes to expand the plan to reach other counties and consolidate services to cut Medicaid costs.
Overall, Diana decried the state”™s 2010-2011 budget, which allocates $51 billion for Medicaid. “Health insurance reform needs to remain a priority, but we have to understand Medicaid has been crowding out other essential services for far too long. The cost of Medicaid in New York decreases state funding for schools while increasing local property taxes,” said Diana. The county”™s bus loop is just one way Diana says the state can save money “and these projects, spearheaded by the counties, are just the beginning of solving the state Medicaid crisis, but we need to start the process of getting the state to think creatively.”
Diana says he”™s working with the county”™s Veterans Affairs Department to try to convince the federal Bureau of Veterans”™ Affairs to buy Arden Hill Hospital in Goshen. Orange county has the highest concentration of veterans in the mid-Hudson region, Diana told lawmakers, and with the threat of closure to the VA”™s Montrose outpatient campus, Arden Hill Hospital is not only desirable but needed for area veterans, particularly those coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Diana said he remained “confident the people of New York will reject the failed polices and leadership that dominate the state.”
