Warren County budget breaks tax cap, prioritizes infrastructure

WARREN COUNTY – An uptick in costs for state-mandated services and retirements have negatively impacted Warren County’s proposed 2026 budget, which will break the state tax cap by over $5 million. However, the $215.7 million county budget has also addressed much-needed public safety and infrastructure for residents.

“Putting together a budget for 2026 was challenging as we continue to confront increased costs across the board, including large increases for health insurance, New York State pension contributions, computer software and more, along with projected reductions in state funding and reimbursement for state mandates,” said Warren County Budget Officer Frank Thomas.

Alone, the mandated increases in Medicaid, health insurance, and New York State pension contributions added nearly $3 million in spending for 2026, with about 20% of the county budget labeled discretionary spending. Similar to last year, state mandates have burdened the county’s budget, according to Thomas.

Multiple factors have also contributed to a slight increase in county property taxes that will be raised an additional three cents per $1,000 of assessed home value to $3.293. That amounts to a tax increase of about $9 for a home valued at $300,000. However, Warren County still retains one of the lowest property tax rates in New York State, according to estimates.

County officials fault not only the breaking of the 2.65% tax cap as a contributing factor for the property tax hike, but also an overall increase in countywide property valuation due to new development in the region.

Prioritizing sustainable county infrastructure, including improvements to roads, culverts, and bridges has also been at the crux of county expenditures in 2025, with that infrastructure work expected to continue into 2026. The proposed budget currently appropriates nearly $5 million for road paving in 2026. “Thanks to exemplary work from our staff, we are able to invest in public safety and infrastructure improvements while holding the property tax rate down for property owners during these difficult times,” Thomas said.

“We are glad to be able to put forward a 2026 budget that delivers the services that make Warren County a great place to live and visit, while continuing to keep our county property tax rate among the lowest in New York state,” Warren County Administrator John Taflan added in a statement.

Warren County also made significant breakthroughs to close the gap with labor contracts that Thomas said will make the County “more competitive” with other counties and municipalities to hire workers across all departments. An increase of $3 million in employee wage expenditures for 2026 will go a long way toward an improved investment in workforce retention, according to Thomas.

Additional investments in the county’s budget include a consolidated countywide waste hauling program that is saving towns hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, as well as hiring for two new patrol officer positions for the Warren County Sheriff’s Office to increase traffic enforcement. Both of these investments are viewed favorably by the Warren County Board of Supervisors as essential programs for public safety and municipal spending reduction.

“Like every household and business, we have had to work through rising costs while revenue is hard to project, and we are gratified that this budget continues to provide the essential services that residents and visitors count on in Warren County,” Taflan said.

While budgetary challenges are expected to continue over the next few years, Thomas believes that projected revenue increases and good faith efforts by county agencies to reduce spending will have a positive impact to offset cost increases in other areas. Above all, one of the primary goals laid out in the 2026 budget is to “strengthen long-term fiscal stability by keeping the Fund Balance at the recommended level of two months of expenditures,” county officials said.

For the future, Thomas painted a bleaker picture by warning of funding challenges from both federal and state sources paired with sales tax revenue leveling out. “We should expect smaller increases in sales tax going forward,” Thomas said.

To help maneuver around these foreseen obstacles, Thomas suggested that Warren County and neighboring counties like Washington and Saratoga counties, with sales tax less than 8%, will probably need to consider a moderate sales tax increase to 7.5% or 8%. Thomas has suggested this option going back over a year, with a projected revenue in the millions by that less than 1% increase.

“I think the county needs to consider moving ahead with the sales tax increase of a half a percent or a full percent. That’ll put us in line with the vast majority of other counties,” Thomas explained. A slight sales tax increase would also “reduce the pressure on the property tax for at least 10 years,” according to Thomas.

“[A sales tax increase] will not only help the county, but it will help all the towns who are facing many of the same increases in wages,” Thomas continued.

Another top concern going forward centers around the County’s Emergency Services, which will continue to face challenges with an aging population and less volunteers, officials said.

Thomas admitted that it’s not an “ideal” budget, but the best under the current circumstances. He requested that his fellow supervisors support and vote to approve the budget later this month.

As previously reported, this is the last year Budget Officer Frank Thomas will be in office after his retirement as Stony Creek supervisor. He has led the county’s budget efforts for more than a decade, stabilizing the county’s spending through fiscal conservatism despite economic uncertainty at the state and federal levels.

“He has done a phenomenal job as budget officer for 15 years, putting in countless hours every summer and fall to keep Warren County on solid financial ground and to support our dedicated workforce,” said Kevin Geraghty, chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, in a statement.

“We thank Frank Thomas again for being a steady hand as county budget officer for many years, and we will miss his leadership in the future,” Taflan said of his colleague.

The Board of Supervisors will consider adopting the tentative budget following a public hearing at the November 21, 2025, Board of Supervisors meeting, which starts at 10 a.m. at Warren County Municipal Center, as previously reported.

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