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Legislators flag Trinity funding cut and sewer-rate disparities as county committees approve resolutions
Summary
During committee votes, legislators questioned a roughly $200,000–$300,000 reduction in funding for the Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse (Trinity) and pressed staff on why sewer-district rates differ sharply; staff outlined revenue sources and a multi-year consolidation plan.
A legislator on the Chemung County Health and Human Services Committee said the county’s contract funding for the local substance-use provider Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse (doing business as Trinity) was down by roughly $300,000 and asked whether the drop reflected reduced demand or budget cuts.
A county staff member replied the county had reduced the line somewhat because an adolescent drug- and alcohol-counselor position was eliminated; the staff member also said the county received a recent state-aid communication that indicated a cut in the range of $200,000 to $300,000 and that the state suggested the county could revert those funds to opioid-treatment-specific funding or accept another state payment stream. The staff member said the notice arrived about three weeks earlier.
Nut graf: The exchange took place while the committee approved a package of routine resolutions for Health and Human Services. The staff explanation indicates the county is adjusting contract lines in response both to internal staffing changes and to a state-level funding notice; the committee approved the related resolutions by voice vote.
Staff comment and context
- The staff member said the elimination of the adolescent counselor accounted for part of the local reduction. The staff member was not able to provide a complete line-item breakdown at the meeting but said they would review details for follow-up.
- Regarding the state communication, the staff member characterized the amount described in the letter as “about 200,000 or 300,000” and said the county suggested reverting the difference to opioid fund allocations where appropriate.
Sewer rates and consolidation
- In the Multi-Services committee, a legislator noted that the annual charge for 60,000 gallons in Chemung County Sewer District No. 1 was cited in committee discussion as $117.75, while a comparison for Elmira’s Sewer District was cited as roughly $48.93 for the same volume. The legislator asked how the difference was accounted for.
- County staff explained that assumed water use and the presence of other revenue streams explain much of the gap. Elmira’s sewer district has revenue sources that offset customer charges, staff said; Sewer District No. 1 has been developing new revenue sources, including paid acceptance of septage at the Milton Street facility (fats, oils and grease and hauled waste) and a quarterly industrial surcharge from a local high-strength discharger. Staff said those revenues will help reduce the rate pressure for Sewer District No. 1 over time.
- On consolidation, staff said plans to consolidate sewer districts were delayed earlier because cash-flow needs and grant-application priorities took precedence. They said financing closing could occur as early as late 2026 but is more likely in early 2027, with consolidation work targeted in 2027.
What lawmakers requested
- Legislators asked staff to provide a fuller budget breakdown for the Trinity contract and to confirm details of the state-aid communication. Staff said they would follow up.
- On sewer consolidation and rate harmonization, staff outlined the revenue items that will be combined when revenues are consolidated and said the intent is to make rates more uniform when the district consolidation is finalized.
Ending: Committees approved the related resolutions by voice votes; staff committed to returning with additional details on Trinity budget adjustments and to provide financing and timing updates on the sewer-consolidation effort.
