Jefferson County Board approves 2026 tax levies, hazard mitigation plan and multiple budget and contract actions

Watertown — The Jefferson County Board of Legislators met in December and, after closing two public hearings with no public comment, approved a slate of routine and substantive actions including tax levies for 2026, adoption of the county hazard mitigation plan and multiple budget and contract authorizations.

The board opened and closed public hearings on two proposed local laws. Local Law Intro. No. 7, a management compensation plan for 2026, and Local Law Intro. No. 8, permitting licensed 12- and 13-year-old hunters to take deer with an adult licensed hunter’s supervision, received no testimony and were removed from the table and approved by the legislators.

The meeting included recognition of county employees marking milestone service anniversaries. Named honorees included Kevin Perkenstock of the Department of Social Services; William Arnold of Buildings and Grounds; Brenda Newman of the sheriff’s office; Andy Nevin of the planning department; Shane Whisner and Steven Kowalik of probation; Holly Shell (Social Services); Luann Valley (county clerk); Timothy Richardson and Sarah Huistian (Social Services/Public Health); Steven Jennings (Public Health); and Christine Maloney (probation director). Several were noted as unable to attend due to work commitments.

On fiscal matters, the board approved resolutions levying 2026 taxes and assessments for town budgets and consolidated health district taxes, and passed motions to return delinquent 2025 school and village taxes. The board also established an assigned fund balance reserved for parks and forest land and authorized various year-end accounts-payable adjustments.

The board amended county budgets and capital plans in several areas, including highway equipment and a highway office complex; those amendments carried on roll-call votes. The board amended the 2025 budget for recycling and solid-waste management, and approved fee increases for tipping and recycling pickup.

Among contracts and grants approved were agreements with Systems East Inc. for web support and maintenance, Venezchi & Company for a countywide cost allocation plan, and a NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services grant award for gun-involved violence elimination to the district attorney’s office. The board also accepted a related grant award to the probation department and authorized contracts for psychological testing/evaluation services tied to juvenile services and a raise-the-age plan. The board approved an agreement with Securus Technologies for monitoring services and other juvenile supervision and treatment services.

The legislatures authorized emergency demolition and removal of an unsafe structure at 13 Market Street in Alexandria Bay and approved acceptance of a parcel on Waterman Drive in the City of Watertown. The board also authorized an intermunicipal shared-services agreement with Lewis County for weights and measures, personnel and services, and contracted Torvaldson Consulting Services LLC for a Cape Vincent Ferry economic impact study.

The board voted to adopt the 2025 Jefferson County hazard mitigation plan. Other health- and community-related budget actions included acceptance of supplemental unmet-needs funding for the Office for the Aging, authorization of an agreement with Coordinated Care Services Inc. for specialized financial-management services, and use of opioid settlement funds for regional abatement services.

All votes recorded in the transcript were recorded as affirmative “ayes” from members present; where roll calls were taken, ayes were recorded from attending legislators. No members were recorded voting against the listed items in the transcript.