Mayor Tom Richards just issued a press release addressing what he calls “unannounced charges to city taxpayers” in the proposed 2014 county budget.
Monroe County
Monroe County’s Obamacare benefit
Heading into 2014 budget preparations, Monroe County officials anticipated a 1 percent increase in Medicaid costs. Instead, the county should see a decrease. During last night’s County Legislature Human Services Committee meeting, officials acknowledged that the decrease is due to the federal Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The benefit to the county’s 2014 […]
LDC’s: the scandal (almost) everyone saw coming
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks apparently isn’t ready to give up on local development corporations. Brooks reiterated her support for the quasi-governmental bodies at a tense press conference last week, which came on the heels of the arrest of four people, including her husband, for allegedly carrying out an elaborate bid-rigging scheme. The four, including […]
Brooks unveiling budget today
Much of the news coming out of the Monroe County government lately has focused on the state Attorney General’s Office probe into local development corporations. But today, County Executive Maggie Brooks will take care of a bit of routine county business. Brooks will unveil her 2014 budget proposal to the County Legislature at 6 p.m. today. […]
Wiesner addresses LDC charges
Robert Wiesner says that he is the target of a political prosecution. During a press conference this afternoon, Wiesner and his attorney, James Nobles, addressed the two felony charges filed against Wiesner by the state Attorney General’s Office. The charges became public yesterday when a judge unsealed an indictment, which also charged three other people. The […]
Grant aimed at wrapping up some Child Protective Services cases
October’s been a relatively quiet month for the Monroe County Legislature, with little in the way of major or controversial legislation. But one piece of legislation did catch my eye. The Lej routinely votes to accept various state and federal grants. And this week, a couple of Legislature committees considered a $50,000 grant that’s meant […]
Ratings games
Yesterday, the bond rating firm Standard & Poor’s upgraded the county’s ratings for several bonds. But last month, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the county’s rating.
County charter committee will meet again
Monroe County’s Charter Review Committee had a couple of basic items on its agenda today: some time for public comments, and an update from its chairman on the research that committee members have been doing. But nobody showed up to speak. And several committee members said that they are still reviewing their assigned topics, asking […]
Moody’s lowers Monroe County’s credit rating
Moody’s Investors Service has lowered Monroe County’s bond rating, which could translate to higher borrowing costs. The move follows an approximately two-year period where Moody’s first increased the county’s rating, then held it steady. The financial services company issued the action yesterday and it also changed the county’s ratings outlook — its prediction of future […]
Trash talk
In five years, Monroe County’s Mill Seat landfill, which takes waste from the county and the City of Rochester, could be full. But county officials want the Riga landfill to last another 25 years, so they’ve applied to the Department of Environmental Conservation for permission to add 118 acres to the current 95-acre landfill. County […]
[UPDATED] Comptroller’s Office says Monroe County is fiscally stressed
The state Comptroller’s Office says Monroe County is in significant fiscal stress and is perhaps the most stressed local government in the state.
County charter review committee begins its work
The first meeting of a Monroe County charter review committee was brief and ended with homework for the members. The meeting took place this morning. The committee, which was established by the County Legislature during its May meeting, is charged with reviewing two sections of county law that lay out how the county government is […]






