Announcement made at 2012 budget kick-off meeting

(Binghamton, N.Y.)  Broome County Executive Patrick J. Brennan met with county department heads today and challenged them to reduce spending next year.  On Friday, Brennan met with department heads for the annual budget kick-off meeting for the 2012 budget.  This meeting follows three weeks of meeting individually with each department head to discuss his expectations for the 2012 budget and his plans to hold the line on taxes by reducing the size of county government.

Brennan was sworn into office as BroomeCounty’s seventh CountyExecutive on Thursday, April 21^st.  That evening Brennan outlined his priorities including to begin to build a fiscally responsible budget for 2012.  Brennan followed up those words with the announcement that he and his deputies would no longer utilize take home vehicles.

“I have complete confidence in the office of management and budget and all department heads that we can achieve my goal of delivering a budget with no tax increase,” said Brennan.

“We know some expenses are going up.  And I am leaving it up to the discretion of each one of you to produce a budget with the same level of tax support as your 2011 final adopted budget contained,” Brennan told the group of department heads.  “We must continue to make significant reductions in expenses.  Taxpayers are stretched to the limit and we will work together to reach a zero percent increase in property taxes,” Brennan told the group of department heads.