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A public hearing on the proposal will coincide with the county Legislature meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Ward O'Hara Agricultural Museum in Owasco. Lawmakers will hear feedback before voting on the resolution later that evening.

The state-imposed cap generally limits property tax levy increases to 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. But the actual cap can fluctuate from year to year and for different municipalities.

When preparing the 2025 budget, the county's tax cap was 4.25%. Legislators initiated the process for exceeding the cap, however, the 4.19% tax levy increase stayed within the limit.

It is unknown what the county's tax cap will be for the 2026 budget. According to Legislator Elane Daly, who chairs the Legislature's Ways and Means Committee, it is expected to be around 3%.

Local governments can boost their cap by rolling over from prior years, but Legislator Ben Vitale, I-Montezuma, confirmed that "all the rollover available" was used last year.

"It would be difficult to stay below 3% and continue some of the services and not use a lot of the fund balance," Daly, D-Auburn, said at a Ways and Means Committee meeting this month.

County legislators are attempting to rein in the use of the general fund balance to close budget holes. The county had an estimated $23 million fund balance before it used $5.6 million to balance the 2025 budget.

More of the fund balance has been used in recent budgets, from under $1 million in the 2021 budget to over $7 million in the 2024 budget.

In other news

• The county Legislature will vote on a bond resolution to provide $7 million for a broadband project. It will require a two-thirds vote, meaning eight of the 11 legislators will need to support its passage.

The Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board is spearheading the project on behalf of Cayuga and Cortland counties. While much of the project will be funded by a $26.1 million state grant, the board needs investments from the two counties for certain costs, such as buying the fiber and obtaining the necessary permits.