Cayuga County Public Health staff told the Legislature that mandated early-intervention and preschool special‑education programs account for the bulk of the health department’s local share and are a major driver of the county health budget.

Public Health staff said the county administers early intervention for children up to age 3 and preschool special‑education services for ages 3–5; tuition and related services for preschool special‑education are paid by the county and reimbursed by New York State at a partial rate. Staff said tuition can range from roughly $47,000 to more than $54,000 per child per year for center‑based placements, with additional costs for one-to-one aides and specialized therapies.

“Related services can range from $38 per visit to $95 per visit and higher for specialty services such as vision and audiology,” the presenter said in the meeting. Staff showed that preschool tuition and related services accounted for several million dollars in county expenses and that the local share for early intervention and preschool combined was substantially larger than the local share for the rest of the health department.

Why it matters: The health department explained that these programs are mandated and that many rates and contracts are set by state agencies, limiting county discretion. Staff said they are cautiously optimistic that billing delays tied to the early-intervention hub will ease, which could reduce cash-flow timing issues in the current year.

Ending: Public Health asked legislators to note the large, mandated local share and offered to provide line‑by‑line explanations of budget items to any legislator who requests details.