BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

CANTON -- Road maintenance work will be more expensive for the county moving forward after state Department of Transportation officials changed how equipment rental rates are charged internally.

According to County Highway Department Superintendent Don Chambers, the news came months after the county had already finalized the 2023 budget. Paving projects were already underway when the change was announced.

"During the 2023 budget year, basically midway through the year, NYS DOT informed us equipment rental rates they would be charging internally would be changed," Chambers told legislators Jan.  29 during the finance committee meeting.

When putting together the 2023 budget, Chambers said he and legislators were told by state DOT officials to use 2017 rates, which have been used every year for budget planning since those rates were implemented.  

"They were the only rates we had and we were instructed to use the rates from 2017," he said.

Somewhere along the way, however, state DOT officials instructed Chambers that rental rates would match FEMA rates during 2023.

Due to a lack of snow during the early 2023 winter season, more road maintenance work was done by the county Highway Department, Chambers said.

Chambers said he initially moved to increase appropriations for winter maintenance materials like sand and salt and to increase machinery rental lines last year.

Now, appropriations are shifting and winter maintenance materials and snow machinery rental appropriations have been decreased by $241,000.

In a concurrent move, the machinery rental appropriations have been increased by $241,000.

The budget modification was passed during the finance committee meeting and will now move to the full board for final approval.