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Legislature approves amendment tapping fund balance for county attorney’s 2025 budget
Summary
The committee approved a resolution to amend the county attorney's 2025 budget to cover overspending driven by vacancies and an unrecognized accrual from prior fiscal years; officials said the amendment uses fund balance to cover the shortfall.
The Chautauqua County Administrative Services Committee voted Sept. 15 to amend the county attorney’s 2025 budget, authorizing the use of county fund balance to cover current shortfalls.
Sam Zafoto, deputy director of finance, and Anna Morgan, County Attorney, told the committee the office is over budget for 2025 for two principal reasons: vacancies that increased reliance on outside counsel and an accrual that was missed from fiscal years 2022–2024 totaling “almost $50,000,” which hit the 2025 accounts when booked. “You put those two factors together and we are, unfortunately, need the use of fund balance to get through the rest of this year,” Zafoto said.
Zafoto said the accrual had not been on his radar and that the booking is already recorded. The amendment reduces appropriations in some lines, preserves a balance for legal services through year end, and uses fund balance to cover the gap.
Committee members raised no further questions in the recorded discussion; the committee approved the proposed resolution by voice vote, recorded as “aye” and carried. The transcript contains no roll‑call vote or itemized schedule of the fund‑balance draw.
Morgan and Zafoto said the action is intended to allow the county attorney’s office to continue operations through the remainder of 2025 while the county addresses staffing and outsourcing costs.
