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Cayuga County budget director: $9.5 million starting gap for 2026; health care, foster care and Medicaid cited as drivers
Summary
Budget director Lynn Maranello told the Cayuga County Legislature the county is starting 2026 with a projected $9.5 million gap under current assumptions, driven by rising Medicaid and foster-care costs, large health‑insurance increases and prior salary adjustments for public safety staff.
Cayuga County budget director Lynn Maranello told the Cayuga County Legislature at a special budget meeting that, under current assumptions, the county is starting the 2026 budget process with a roughly $9.5 million budget gap.
Maranello said the county is beginning 2026 with an assumed 3% sales tax increase, a 2.87% property tax cap (the current estimated tax cap) and a starting fund‑balance use of zero. “With that in mind, that would put us with a budget gap of 9,500,000 to start with for this 2026,” she said.
Why it matters: a gap of this size would require either service reductions, revenue increases or use of reserves. Maranello told legislators the county’s recent expenditure increases have outpaced revenue growth and that several mandated and market‑driven costs are beyond local control.
Maranello walked legislators through the main drivers. She said the county saw a large one‑year…
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