The
2004 Monroe County budget may or may not include big social service cuts. It
may also include putting welfare on a charge-back system. Safety Net is a state
program for people not eligible for the federal welfare program. The cost is
split between the state and the county. One proposal floating around in the
county legislature calls for Safety Net costs to be assessed to the
municipalities in which the recipients live. The county government would no
longer be responsible for the local portion of the funding.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The move would cost the city of
Rochester approximately $14 million.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย As of Tuesday, the county lej was
still meeting daily to come up with a budget proposal that includes a plan to
close a $42 million deficit. The meetings go like this: the lej convenes, the
Republicans announce they still don’t have an agreement, and both sides recess
to their individual caucuses for two hours. Pizza is sometimes involved. After
two hours, everyone returns to chambers. The Republicans say no agreement has
been reached. We all go home.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The budget limbo has given citizens
and community groups plenty of time to voice their displeasure at rallies,
protests, and lej meetings over possible funding cuts. Of the list of cuts,
advocates have been most vocal about city school nurses and the possible Safety
Net charge-backs.
Thequestion that keeps coming up regarding
city school nurses: Is the county mandated to keep funding the service?
Republicans say no.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The $972.1 million budget proposed
by County Executive Jack Doyle eliminates funding for the nurses at the end of
the current school year. School district officials, the nurses themselves, and
nursing advocates say cutting nurses would devastate city schools.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “It would be a very dangerous
situation for students,” says Mary Capparelli, administrator for the Statewide
School Health Services Center.ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Advocates,
including Nancy O’ Mara, retired coordinator of school health services for
Monroe County, claim that the county is mandated to fund the nurses, per the
terms of the merger of the county health department and city health bureau,
which took place in the late 1950s.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But O’Mara also argues, incorrectly,
that the city of Buffalo faced a similar situation with the Erie County Health
Department. The school district, she says, took the county to court and won —
forcing the county to continue funding the nurses.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “In researching the issue, we
discovered there was not enough of a paper trail to prevail on a lawsuit,” says
Judith Fisher, a Democrat in the Erie County Legislature. Fisher was on the
Buffalo school board at the time.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “We really need a full-time RN
[registered nurse] in every school and some schools that are relatively big
probably need two,” she says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The truth about whether or not the
county must fund the nurses may be a legal gray area.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Nurses, specifically, aren’t
mandated anywhere in New York State. Rochester is one of three cities in the
state — the others are Buffalo and New York — not required to have a
“medical inspector” on staff in the schools.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Education Law 912 reads: “In the
three cities…health services are to be provided by the following agencies…” For
Rochester, it lists the School Health Services Division of the Monroe County
Department of Health.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The interpretation of “health
services” is another matter, Capparelli says. “Some people get very creative.”
Safety Net
charge-backs were eliminated in the late 1960s in part because they were
unfair to the city.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Since 90 percent of Safety Net
recipients live in the city, the city would have to come up with approximately
$14 million.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The county legislature voted 25 to 3
to approve a Republican plan to eliminate the charges in March, 1967. The
makeup of the lej at the time was heavily Republican.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Part of the Republican rationale for
eliminating the charge-backs, the Democrat
and Chronicle reported, “is the belief they are inequitable.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “Welfare is a community problem,”
Majority Leader Robert Neilon told the D&C at the time.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Assistant Majority Leader Richard
Rosenbaum, of Penfield, echoed these sentiments in the same article.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “The city is an integral part of the
community, and we cannot turn our backs on its problems,” he said.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Abolishing the charge-backs was
expected to save the city $1 million.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The plan also called for the
elimination of the welfare districts in the 19 towns, incorporating them into
the single county district.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Legislators at the time, the D&C reported, “spoke of the action
as an important step toward metropolitan government.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Metropolitan government and
city-county cooperation “are expected to be the main issues in this fall’s
battle over control of City Hall and the County Building,” the D&C reported in February, 1967.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The article goes on to say that
Republicans argue that the only way to insure metro government “is to give the
GOP control of both the city and the county. Democrats will respond that the
metropolitan government concept is just a political power play… aimed at
stripping the city of its autonomy and its services.”
Present-day
Majority Leader Bill Smith says the Republican amendment to the Doyle
budget should be ready any time now. If the lej doesn’t pass a budget by
December 9, Doyle’s budget proposal automatically goes into effect.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Smith shared a few details of the
Republican plan: Sales tax hike? Out. Property tax increase? Not part of the
deal, as of Tuesday. School nurses? Out. Safety Net shift? A last resort,
according to Smith, “because of the obvious implications for the city.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Who pays for Safety Net will depend
on whether or not Republicans can achieve the savings they need to plug the $42
million deficit through cuts.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Cuts will come in programs and “the
operations side of county departments,” Smith says. Republicans have been
meeting with department heads to find areas of “institutional inertia” that can
be cut, Smith says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Republicans are also looking at “a
major cut in social services,” he says, although he is concerned whether or not
social services can sustain additional cuts following this year’s
reorganization.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “That’s the last big doubt in my
mind,” he says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The Republican “concept,” as Smith
calls it, has 16 votes — the entire Republican caucus — behind it.
Republicans need 18 votes to be able to override a Doyle veto. That would
require getting two Democrats to come on board.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย He has spoken to Doyle, Smith says,
and the county executive has promised to evaluate any amendment in good faith.
This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2003.
