The Broome County Legislature passed its 2026 budget last week, which includes property tax cuts, investments in community programs and expansion of mental health resources.

Originally released in September by County Executive Jason Garnar ‘99, the budget will cut property tax rates for the seventh year in a row and directly allocate $500,000 to the Small Community Fund, a program that awards grants for local community development. It also funds the creation of a Broome County Youth Bureau, which would support child care and youth and family development programs, and an expanded mobile mental health crisis program.

In his address, Garnar, who developed next year’s budget amid concerns over federal funding cuts and the rising cost of living, said it was “one of the most challenging budgets we’ve ever had to prepare.”

“This budget shows that we can make Broome County more affordable while continuing to invest in the people and programs that make our community stronger,” Garnar said in a press release. “For seven straight years, we’ve lowered the property tax rate, and at the same time, we’re investing resources into mental health, public safety and infrastructure. That’s what responsible, people-first budgeting looks like.”

Many community members expressed concern about the budget’s increased funding to the Broome County Sheriff’s Office, which will receive around $55 million next year compared to $47.8 million in 2025. At an October budget hearing [HYPERLINK: https://www.bupipedream.com/news/residents-voice-concern-over-increased-funding-for-the-broome-county-sheriffs-office/172231/], residents publicly opposed the proposal, with some referencing the 287(g) agreement that Sheriff Fred Akshar signed in March [HYPERLINK: https://www.bupipedream.com/news/ice-will-train-some-corrections-staff-in-executing-civil-immigration-warrants/164491/] with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

On March 10, the Sheriff’s office agreed to participate in ICE’s Warrant Service Officer program that gives state and local law enforcement power “to serve and execute administrative warrants on aliens in their agency’s jail.” In a Sept. 18 statement to Pipe Dream, Akshar said his office “has not been involved with any immigration enforcement in the community” and that any issued warrants would be for those already in the correctional facility.

“It’s disturbing that at a time when the federal budget is having all these cuts — the county provides social services and things like this, that’s what they’re tasked with,” Andrew Pragacz MA ‘18, president of Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier, said in an interview with Pipe Dream. “But at the same time our budget is being cut overall, the sheriff’s budget is growing.”

Along with implementing a new opioid treatment plan option and continuing programs to reduce recidivism, the sheriff’s office plans to continue generating revenue by holding “prisoners for the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other New York counties.”

In a statement to Pipe Dream, Democrat Mary Kaminsky, a county legislator who resigned from a county jail advisory committee in July to protest the 287(g) partnership, voiced her support for other aspects of the budget, including the property tax rate cuts, investment into the Mobile Crisis Program and the development of the Broome County Youth Bureau. She also highlighted her push to raise the income cap for those eligible for the property tax break, which she said will allow more seniors to qualify.

“Even with all of these positive things that I fully support, I couldn’t vote yes,” Kaminsky wrote. “The budget also includes federal funding to house ICE detainees, and I have serious concerns about that. Not only do I believe it’s wrong on several levels, but I’m also very worried about the financial risk to our taxpayers. Because the county is self-insured, if lawsuits arise, we — not the federal government — will be responsible. That could cost our taxpayers millions of dollars.”

Akshar has previously said that holding ICE detainees would not negatively impact local taxpayers.

“Despite the dysfunction at the national level, it’s reassuring to know that the overwhelming majority of local county legislators, both Republican and Democrat, continue choosing to put Public Safety, Truth and Common Sense before political disagreements for the benefit of the people of Broome County,” Akshar said in a statement to Pipe Dream.

“While I respectfully disagree with those who did not vote in favor of the 2026 Budget, I look forward to continuing to work together, listen and share ideas to build a stronger, safer Broome County for all our residents as we move forward,” he added.