SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The economic downturn caused by coronavirus is starting to hit local governments, even those busy fighting the pandemic. Onondaga County will furlough about 225 hourly workers to save some money as the county faces both lost revenue and increased public health expenses.
“We are no different from any other business,’’ County Executive Ryan McMahon said Tuesday. “We have no clue what our revenue is going to look like in three or four weeks.”
The affected workers are temporary, hourly workers, many of whom work for the county part-time, McMahon said. The county will keep their positions open but reduce their hours to zero beginning with the next pay period, he said.
County officials could not immediately say how much money the reduction will save.
McMahon said the county will likely spend millions fighting the spread of COVID-19, which takes priority over balancing the budget. At the same time, the county has begun to cut where it can because the financial future looks rocky, he said.
“We’re going to do everything we can to keep our work force at full staff levels,’’ McMahon said. “But, we’re just like everybody else. If there’s no money, how do you do it?”
New York counties outside of New York City could lose up to $2 billion from lower sales tax revenues because of the economic downturn, according an analysis from the New York State Association of Counties. The association estimated that losses could range from 4% to 12% depending on the severity of the downturn.
That could mean a loss of $11.5 million to $34 million for Onondaga County, which budgeted this year for $286 million in sales tax revenue.
McMahon said Onondaga County, which has more COVID-19 cases than several states, should get more federal aid than it has thus far to fight the disease.