A plan for 2.2 million dollars in staffing cuts due to budget concerns drew quite a few residents out to a public hearing earlier to discuss the plan.


A budget proposed last week details multiple job cuts in the county's Central Food Department in order to provide funding in areas like the Sheriff's office.


Broome County residents came out to speak on the proposal, all of them expressing concern that the approval of this budget will leave many long time Broome County residents without jobs, benefits, or a means to provide for their families. We spoke to a concerned resident.


"They're not 80 positions, they're 80 people who live in this community with their families...purchase items here, pay taxes here, and who actually vote here. So the impact is two fold in the fact that they will no longer have their county benefits, their retirement to raise their children and pay their taxes..." concerned resident.


Everyone who spoke before officials at the hearing were against the proposal. One resident asked the law makers to consider other ideas, such as raising taxes by 2% to provide funding rather than slashing jobs.


In addition to speaking against staffing cuts, a couple of attendees reminded the officials of the ongoing heroin epidemic and the urgent need for treatment funds to be added to the budget.