Chautauqua County Executive P.J. Wendel joins News Director Terry Frank to discuss his tentative, 309.7-million dollar, 2026 budget proposal. Wendel says it includes a 54-cent per 1,000 assessed value tax rate decrease... but, adds it does include a 1.7-million dollar tax levy increase. He says that's due mainly to an 11.2%-increase in market value of homes in the county. He says some people have wanted to return to the area... and, some are second-home. Wendel says there's only one added employee (a probation officer), which is required by New York state... so some unfunded mandates are pushing an increase in that levy. He says the legislature has already completed it's first budget meetings, and there was a tentative, 50,000 dollar reduction in the Social Services budget with a reduction in overtime costs. He calls it a "solid budget." In addition... we talk about the need to take "down the temperature" in our political discourse. Wendel adds that, he was part of a private meeting with New York Governor Kathy Hochul that included six state Republicans (including him), and six Democrats. He says it's important not to overstate things like saying "we're at war" with another political party.
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