Some St. Lawrence County leaders are praising the budget agreement reached by state lawmakers, which would offer tax breaks for property owners and subsidies for economic development.

The budget includes $1.5 billion in property tax relief for New York homeowners that is linked to approved plans for local governments to become more efficient. In addition, the budget includes an investment in education. The budget increases school aid by roughly 5 percent and establishes statewide universal pre-kindergarten.

“By reaching an agreement on a budget that cuts property taxes and rewards local governments for increased efficiency – both in the future and the recent past – Gov. Cuomo and the leaders of the Senate and Assembly have taken a great step forward. This agreement will help homeowners throughout St. Lawrence County and I commend them our state leaders for working together to make this responsible budget agreement happen,” St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators Chairman Jonathan Putney said.

The agreement also received praise from Clarkson University President Anthony Collins.

“As the president of a national research university and co-chair of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council (NCREDC), I applaud our state legislators and Gov. Andrew Cuomo for reaching an on-time agreement on the 2014-2015 State Budget for the fourth year in a row. The North Country elected officials are particularly to be commended for bi-partisan collaboration with the Governor and others to keep job growth, education quality and environmental stewardship at the forefront of opportunities for our communities to sustain momentum and forward progress,” he said.

“With three consecutive years of additional funding going towards the North Country’s economic strategic plan and the latest NYS budget’s tax incentives, we are able to encourage more manufacturing growth like that achieved at Bombardier in Clinton County, workforce investment like the machinists training programs in Jefferson and Lewis counties, and innovation such as the Hot Spots program that Clarkson is helping to support in a hub-and-spoke model with partners across the region. We are powering full steam ahead.”