It is a case of wait and see just how the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’, tariffs and Presidential edicts pushed by President Donald Trump, and passed by the majority ruled Republican Senate nd Congress, will filter down to local communities.

County Administrator, Mark Humbert stated:“Right now there is not a direct impact on the County in terms of accounting. My concern is how the cutting of funding will affect residents and the county budget. Our residents will feel the effect of some services and benefits they are used to and rely on.

 I am concerned because our  profession partners like CCE (Cornell Cooperative Extension),  ARC will definitely feel direct hits. 

CCE’s SNAP-Ed Program for healthy eating education, will go away. We rely on the services of our non-governmental professional partner agencies. ARC supplies our “Meals on Wheels” program. We do not know how that will be affected. 

Within a month we will have a better picture of the impact. The County is in a good position, as we are just beginning our budget process. We will find the best solutions for our County and its residents. I know that this Board of Supervisors is 100% committed to doing the right thing for our residents.   We will see more over the next couple of years. We don’t know if the State with help out.

George Bastedo, CEM, Director of the Wayne County Emergency Management said “We have not received any official word on any federal grant funding cuts. We (Emergency Management) make every effort to use grant funds primarily for equipment. That way, if the grant funding disappears, we are not forced to make any reductions in staff or programs.”

Jeffrey Stalker, Administrator for the Wayne County Nursing Home and Rehab Center feared that “The effects are unknown/can’t be predicted at this time, but we expect a reduction to Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement for services with federal cuts of any kind.”

Wayne County Veterans Service Director Samantha Wilson, quipped that “At this time, we have not received any formal notice of federal budget cuts that would directly impact our department’s funding. However, we are closely monitoring the situation and staying in contact with our state and federal partners to stay informed of any potential changes. While there are no immediate plans to eliminate or scale back any programs, we are always mindful of how federal funding shifts can affect the services we provide. If cuts do occur, we will carefully assess how to minimize the impact on the veterans and families we serve here in Wayne County.”

Amy Haskins, of Wayne County Aging and Youth Department: “Federal cuts will mean the elimination of certain State/County programs, including HEAP, Adult Protective Services, Medicaid and SNAP NY. State services will shift some funds to try to make up for the Medicaid and SNAP budgets, due to Federal  funding , which was 50% of the cost of the programs, now cut to 25%. The State will have to try to pick up the difference.  It will all come down to the Federal Department of Health and Human Services Budget. That will determine what is cut or left to securing funding elsewhere. The overall cuts seem to be in the disability, minority, and older American services. The elimination of the ACL (Agency for Community Living) was unfunded with no contact information was given for explanations or questions. Public assistance will now have a work requirement tied to it, up until the age of 65.”

STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE A-9 in this weekend's edition