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Washington County committee hears proposed workforce budget as board weighs consolidation with Capital Region
Summary
LEAP executive director Shelley Smith briefed the committee on a proposed FY 2026-27 workforce development budget and said the U.S. Department of Labor llocation to New York appears reduced by about 10%. Members pressed for assurances that local career centers would not bear cuts and debated a possible merger with the Capital Region workforce board to reduce overhead.
Shelley Smith, executive director of LEAP, told the county committee she was presenting the workforce development board—s preliminary budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and that Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties must each approve the plan before the board completes action.
"We have also recently learned . . . the overall allocation . . . from the Department of Labor has . . . been reduced by 10%," Smith said, noting the counties had not yet received a final state notice. She called the draft a "preliminary budget" and asked for county feedback before the workforce board meets again at the end of the month.
Members focused questions on how a 10% federal reduction would be absorbed. A county committee member said they did not want cuts to reach the local career centers where one-on-one services are delivered: "If there is a 10% decrease . . . somehow you do it on the administrative budget and it isn't affecting the workforce centers themselves," the member said.
Smith and other staff said the board is examining multiple options, including: trimming administrative overhead, temporarily reducing staff, forming a 501(c)(3) foundation to attract private funding, or consolidating with a larger neighboring workforce board. The possibility most discussed was joining the Capital Region workforce development board; proponents said a larger region could unlock partnerships, foundation funds and program capacity that smaller counties lack.
"There are economies of scale," a board volunteer said in support of exploring consolidation; others warned a merger could dilute Washington County—s influence and potentially lead to fewer county-based career centers. Concerned members asked how representation and voting would be configured under consolidation and whether services would be centralized.
Staff explained the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the state allocation process: the U.S. Department of Labor issues a table of awards to the state, which then takes a percentage and distributes funds to the 33 workforce boards using statutory formulas. Smith said some adult/dislocated-worker funding is distributed later in the year, which adds uncertainty to final county allocations.
Committee members asked for concrete performance and cost metrics; Smith said the agency is compiling cost-per-participant and placement-rate data and can provide it to the committee. The consolidation subcommittee will return with a formal pros-and-cons analysis and options that attempt to protect county-level services.
The committee did not vote on the budget. Staff said the workforce board will present a final budget next month; counties will be asked to vote before the new fiscal year begins.
