By DAVID HULSE

MONTICELLO - With revenues increasing faster than rising appropriations, Sullivan County's $152.6 million tentative 2001 budget maintains the county's recent zero-tax growth goal in the new levy, while dispensing $15 million in new appropriations.

County Finance Commissioner Richard LaCondre prepared the budget, following the April departure of former County Manager Jonathan Drapkin and before Dan Briggs was hired. He said Sullivan's financial picture looks pretty good. In a statement accompanying the October 5 release of the budget, LaCondre listed the recent bond rating improvement, which will reduce the cost of municipal borrowing, growing sales tax revenues and increasing proceeds from county tax sales as part of a "continuing positive economic trend."

As TRR reported earlier, Sullivan is budgeting on a multiyear basis, with rotating divisional spending initiatives so that all departments get an emphasis sometime in a four-year period, and legislators don't have to sort through inflated "wish list" budgets every year.

New Sullivan initiatives in 2001 will include a $200,000 expenditure for GIS mapping in the Community Development and Planning Department, continuation for a fourth year of the Department of Public Works infrastructure renewal program and replacement of aging DPW equipment.

The county payroll will increase $1.9 million as the result of collective bargaining agreements. Some $45,000 is inked in for a proposed $5000 increase in legislative salaries.

Health insurance costs prompted an additional $1.2 million appropriations increase.

Despite a leveling off in public assistance cases, LaCondre noted an $8 million increase in Family Services Division spending and warned of possible substantial increases in county assistance costs in 2002 and 03, when the federal Welfare Reform Act cuts federal benefits to clients on public assistance for more than five years.

The new budget is subject to change by the Legislature and requires two public hearings prior to approval, which must be accomplished before December 20.