QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Warren County has set up a look into a possible future – and wants to talk to the community about it. The county’s tentative 2024 budget plan includes tax changes, employment opportunities, and more.

A public hearing is planned for Friday, Nov. 17, on the $192.8 million budget proposal. The county will talk about the plan at its Board of Supervisors meeting starting at 10 a.m. Meetings are held at Warren County Municipal Center, 1340 Route 9, and can be viewed online.

“Putting together a budget for 2024 was challenging, but we believe this spending plan preserves essential services for our residents and visitors while continuing to keep the tax burden low in Warren County,” said Budget Officer and Stony Creek Town Supervisor Frank Thomas. “We have been cautious with our financial forecast and are confident this budget will protect the county’s long-term financial position.”

The budget has a lot to offer, with a complete breakdown posted by the county alongside the hearing announcement. Here’s what anyone in Glens Falls, Lake George, or anywhere else in the county should know.

  • Grand total
    • The proposed 2024 Warren County budget comes in at $192.8 million
    • The 2023 county budget came in at $184,036,264
  • Taxes
    • Warren County’s property tax rate would decrease by $0.29, coming to rest at $3.284 per $1,000 of assessed value
    • Taxes spent on personnel, retirement, and other expenses would increase by 4.8%
  • Jobs
    • 13 full-time positions and six part-time positions at the county would be eliminated
    • Six new full-time positions would be added, including five in the county Department of Social Services and one in Warren County Tourism
  • SUNY
    • An increase in funding to SUNY Adirondack, with the goal of 33% sponsorship over the next five years
  • Transit
    • A role in the ongoing transfer of Greater Glens Falls Transit services control to the Capital District Transit Authority
  • Roads
    • $4 million allocated for county road paving projects
    • In 2023, the county took on extensive repaving and rehabilitation work on Quaker Road in Queensbury

“This year’s expenses made us realize that we cannot continue to balance the budget by taking money from the General Fund Reserves,” said Warren County Administrator John Taflan. “Thankfully we are in decent shape and should close out the year in a good position. We’ll just have to be cautious going forward.”