# Budget Hearings Day 1 (Human Services and Audit & Control Committees) 10/05/26

Chautauqua County’s Human Services and Audit & Control Committees held Day 1 of the 2027 budget hearings on October 5, 2026. Finance staff said the tentative budget holds the tax levy flat at $74,961,167 and uses about $7.5 million of fund balance to offset recurring operating costs and maintain the flat levy. Legislators questioned the projected gap between revenues and expenses, staffing levels, and exposure to state and federal funding changes. Human Services officials described contracts and pass-through funding for community providers, including a two-year Prevention Works contract funded by opioid settlement proceeds; a revenue-cycle management initiative under an electronic health record contract signed September 29; and leased laptop replacements. Officials also discussed RFPs and partnership efforts for homeless services, including a pending Code Blue solicitation and plans to revise and reapply for supportive-housing funding after an unsuccessful application. No purchase of an AI vendor was made; officials said possible AI tools to reduce SNAP processing errors remain under consideration. A motion to approve a budget-neutral amendment adding $6,785 to both appropriations and revenue for account 4320 passed. The hearing also covered potential SNAP penalties that could be passed from the state to counties, estimated at approximately $1.1 billion statewide, and substantial uncertainty in behavioral-health hospitalization costs borne by the county.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Healthcare
**Topics:** Grants & Funding, Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** October 05, 2026

### Sources
- [Budget Hearings Day 1 (Human Services and Audit & Control Committees) 10/05/26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgSNDMqtMRs) - Chautauqua County Government