The Onondaga County Legislature delayed its vote this afternoon on the proposed budget for 2010. Today’s session was scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. but legislators remained in their caucus rooms at 5:00, scheduled to meet at 5:30.
Onondaga County is facing a $38 million deficit in 2010. County Executive Joanie Mahoney submitted her $1.17 billion budget proposal on Sept. 15.
In the budget she proposed, Mahoney would close that gap mostly by eliminating 51 county jobs and cutting hours and pay for 2,149 workers.
Republicans hold an 11-8 majority and ten votes are needed to add amendments and pass the budget. Mahoney can veto any spending increases added by the legislature.
More than 90 people were in the legislative chamber before the scheduled start of the session but many left after two hours. There were more than 30 members of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), which represents 3,200 of the county’s 4,200 workers, still waiting at 5:30 for the session to start.
“The proposed budget will make over 2,000 county employees part-time workers,” CSEA member Bob Ball said. “This will be a detriment to these workers’ families and the services rendered by the county.”
More than 1,000 county employees demonstrated outside the OnCenter on Oct. 8 before a public hearing on the budget.
Ball, a 22-year county employee in information technology, was there and says the CSEA presented its case fairly.
“The speakers at the OnCenter hit the issues on the nose,” he said. “I hope we can get this budget vote in today because so much is riding on it.”
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