The FY2019 Executive Budget proposes several promising reforms and initiatives that will benefit New York children, such as funding for the First 1000 Days on Medicaid initiative and implementation of Raise the Age juvenile justice policy. There are more proposals, though, that signal a reduced commitment to meeting the needs of New York’s children.
The adopted 2019 Monroe County budget includes:
• A shifting of 6 Dept. of Public Health clerical staff to respond to the collapse of Early Intervention (EI) Service Coordination programs in community agencies. A proposal to create a wait list for infants and toddlers referred for EI evaluation was withdrawn.
• An increase of $1.8 M in County spending on child care subsidies.
• Addition of 30 case aide positions in Child Protective Services.
• A ten-cent reduction in the County’s property tax rate and an increase in assessed valuation, leading to $11.6 M more projected property tax revenue in 2019 over 2018.
In this report, we provide commendations for several allocations in Monroe County’s 2019 Adopted Budget and priority recommendations for further action in 2019.
Imagine two families who live a half an hour southwest of Rochester, NY. Jessica and Christopher Smith live with their two young children in the Village of Caledonia, in the northwest corner of Livingston County, while Jessica’s sister Ashley and her husband Joshua Miller are less than 2 miles away with their two young children in Mumford, part of the Town of Wheatland in Monroe County. All four parents are in their late twenties, graduates of Caledonia-Mumford High School, and have decided to live in that community to be close to one another and near friends and family. Each family has 1 and 3 year old children, and when their kids reach school-age, they’ll attend Caledonia-Mumford schools, just like their parents.
Among local public entities who touch the lives of children and youth, the City has unique opportunities. City decisions impact every aspect of a child’s life – housing, neighborhoods, education, literacy, public safety, healthy environments, physical activity, recreation, employment and more.
The proposed 2018 Monroe County budget includes notable progress for children and youth:
In this report, we provide recommendations and commendations for the County and important findings from our review of the 2018 Proposed budget.
The Children’s Agenda recommends that the County adopt “SAFETY FIRST” and “INVEST EARLY” as 2017 priorities. It should target more resources early in children’s lives to prevent more serious problems and to save money.
The Children’s Agenda advocates for effective policies and drives evidenced-based solutions for the health, education and success of children. We are especially committed to children who are vulnerable because of poverty, racism, health disparities and trauma.
