By DAVID HULSE

MONTICELLO - Finance Commissioner and half of the acting county manager duo, Richard LaCondre last week said that his proposed 2001 budget will include new funding for GIS (Graphic Information Services) mapping.

In keeping with a multi-year budgeting scheme, Sullivan budgets in recent years have emphasized certain areas for new spending initiatives. Recent beneficiaries of this extra attention have been highways, bridges, computer services and municipal buildings. The idea has been that in making a long-term plan, emphasis can be shifted, so proposed budgets don't get padded and department and division heads can be assured their turn will come along eventually.

The other idea is that focused spending allows a tighter handle on appropriations and less likelihood of any tax increase.

LaCondre ordinarily does much of the budget preparation anyway, but he says this year's budget will include his ideas as well. "I don't think a new county manager is going to be on board long enough to have much impact on this budget, so it's likely to be my budget," he admitted.

Mapping for GIS is not a new concept for Sullivan. Real Property Services (RPS) Director Paul Burckard pitched its advantages to the Board of Supervisors before the Legislature was created. Some equipment is in use now in RPS and the Division of Planning, but LaCondre now wants to integrate the effort.

The resulting computer generated maps would not only be able to locate section, block and lot numbers for real estate purposes, but identify levels of power and telephone services to the property, water and sewer infrastructure and about any other abstract statistics that can be recorded.

A trucking firm could check maps and find highway weight limits and underpass heights.

Some of the information that could be included exists in town records, which have never been combined in a comprehensive mapping effort. "Of course, we've talked about this kind of mapping for 911 emergency services as well," LaCondre added.

He says an outlay of between $100,000 and $200,000 is being considered.

Another unrelated budget emphasis will include a replacement program for Sullivan Division of Public Works equipment, he said.

Divisional and departmental budget hearings, when managers pitch their budget proposals to LaCondre and co-manager Harvey Smith and legislators are scheduled to begin soon, LaCondre said.