Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Greene County Legislature will hold a public hearing Mon., Nov. 5, on its proposed 2019 budget. The spending plan totals $119 million, a significant increase in spending over last year, Finance Committee Chairman Charles Martinez, a Republican representing Coxsackie, said. Allocations that increase the total budget include the costs associated with the Raise the Age legislation and the capital improvement project at Columbia-Greene Community College, Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said. The tax levy increase is 2 percent, within the state-mandated guidelines for the seventh consecutive year, Martinez said. The legislature’s approval of a $39 million bond to finance the construction of a new county jail in Coxsackie presents new challenges for the county, Groden said. The bond will contribute $300,000 to the county’s debt service during the coming year, Groden said. In addition, the costs associated with boarding the incarcerated outside of the county has doubled, so jail-related payroll, overtime, utilities and other expenses have been reduced, Martinez said. On the revenue side, there has been an increase in sales tax income over last year, from $30 million to $31 million, Groden said. In 2017, the county's total revenue was nearly $110 million, according to a recent audit; its combined fund balance was just under $38.5 million, with more than $29.2 million in cash-on-hand, treasurer Peter Markou said. The public hearing on the 2019 Greene County budget will be held at 6 p.m., Mon., Nov. 5, at Catskill Middle School, 345 W. Main Street. The full legislature will vote on the spending plan November 20. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.