Every year for the previous 40 years, Republican state senators brought home to central New York millions of dollars to spend on special projects. But now that Democrats control the state legislature - and its purse strings - Republicans have less money to wash over their districts, and the result is less money for Cayuga County.

The state Senate approved this month $85 million for legislators to spend on local projects and organizations. The money is usually included in the state's budget, but approval of member-item spending was delayed this year by turbulence that left the Senate deadlocked 31-31 until a dissident Democrat returned to his party's conference.

The $85 million is divided between the parties; members submit to their parties grant bids for projects in their districts. Traditionally, in the Senate, for every $9 the majority party spends, the minority party can spend $1.

Despite the protesting that unequal distribution for years while they were in the minority, the Democrats kept $77 million this year while giving Republicans $8 million to pass out.

Rules will change next year to level the playing field a notch - the minority party will receive 33 percent of what the majority gets. But for now, Cayuga County, which will receive $347,000 less than last year, and the surrounding Republican lands will have to make do with less dough.

“Almost every county upstate is experiencing a loss,” said Cayuga County Manager Wayne Allen. “That's the way it is.”

Cayuga County will receive $436,500 - a 44 percent decrease from last year's $783,500 - in member items this year. The county's total reflects 30 grants from five local legislators - Assemblymen Robert Oaks, Gary Finch, Brian Kolb and Sens. David Valesky and Michael Nozzolio.

Nozzolio, whose district includes about half of Cayuga County, distributed $635,000 of his $2.15 million member item allotment in Cayuga County last year. But this year, Nozzolio received only $300,000 to spend in his district. About $70,000 will make its way to Cayuga County.

Many of the organizations that received money last year will be left out. The largest grant Nozzolio gave in the county last year, $100,000, went to Cayuga County Community College. But this year, the college will not be receiving a grant from the senator.

“We help provide more security for families in their homes, through public protection,” said Nozzolio, whose pared down list of 14 member items included eight grants for fire departments in his district. “We also look to see how we can support projects that would have to be paid for by property taxes.”

The only Democratic senator who serves Cayuga County, Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida, received $4.5 million this year, and will spend about 5.6 percent of it, $300,000, in Cayuga. Last year, he spent $10,000 here. Valesky divides his grants among the counties in his district - Cayuga, Monroe, Oneida - in proportion to the population represented by each, a spokesman for the senator said.

Critics of the system argue that too much money is being funneled downstate, leaving upstate districts with mere pennies in their pockets.

“The good that can be done with this is evident in the programs and organizations that are being supported,” said Valesky's Chief-of-Staff, Cort Ruddy.

But, he said, “If you look at the overall spending of the state, we are talking about a relatively small percentage.”

The state's 2009-2010 budget is $132 billion.

Allen said he is concerned about how the county will fund programs that were previously paid for by grants and cannot be eliminated. “They're great to have and they do help,” he said.

But a greater concern, he said, is what will happen to the programs running on state and federal aid from the Economic Recovery Act, which has a 2010 expiration date.

“We don't know,” Allen said. “We have no idea how the state is going to replenish the funding for those programs.”

Sharing the wealth

A look at how much money the five legislators representing various parts of Cayuga County have distributed in their districts

Legislator 2008-2009 2009-2010

Sen. David Valesky $300,000 $4,500,000

Sen. Michael Nozzolio $2,150,000 $300,000

Assemblyman Robert Oaks $142,000 $165,000

Assemblyman Gary Finch $127,000 $141,000

Assembly Brian Kolb $142,000 $156,000

Source: State Office of Attorney General Project Sunlight Web site

Member item breakdown

The individual member items secured by state legislators for the 2009-2010 budget year for Cayuga County recipients:

Recipient Purpose Amount Legislator

Auburn Fire Department, Auburn Training and equipment $5,000 Finch

Auburn Police Department, Auburn Training and equipment $5,000 Finch

Aurora Fire Department, Aurora Funding for new equipment $15,000 Nozzolio

CIMVAC, Cato Heart monitors $16,500 Oaks

Cayuga County, Auburn Equipment and training $15,000 Finch

Cayuga County Arts Council, Auburn Programming $2,500 Finch

Cayuga County Office

of Tourism, Auburn Programming and outreach $2,500 Finch

Cayuga County Veterans Service

Agency, Auburn Transportation to medical appointments $10,000 Valesky

Child Care Council of the

Finger Lakes, Auburn Programming and access $2,500 Finch

CIMVAC, Cato Heart monitor defibrillator

with capnography $17,000 Valesky

City of Auburn, Auburn Fire department equipment $35,000 Nozzolio

City of Auburn, Auburn Founders Day event $5,000 Finch

City of Auburn, Auburn Support for infrastructure projects $100,000 Valesky

First Love Ministries, Auburn Soup kitchen access $2,500 Finch

Fleming Fire Co. No. 1, Fleming Training and equipment $2,500 Finch

Fleming Fire Co. No. 2, Fleming Training and equipment $2,500 Finch

Hazard Library, Poplar Ridge Construction $10,000 Finch

Poplar Ridge Fire Department,

Poplar Ridge New equipment $15,000 Nozzolio

Purple Lancers Drum & Bugle

Corps, Auburn Uniform campaign project $5,000 Finch

St. Alphonsus Food Pantry, Auburn Access $2,000 Finch

Salvation Army Food Pantry, Auburn Access $2,000 Finch

SS. Peter & John Episcopal

Church, Auburn Soup kitchen $2,500 Finch

Throop Volunteer Fire

Company, Throop Multipurpose sport and

recreation complex $15,000 Valesky

Town of Owasco, Owasco Municipal water improvements $75,000 Valesky

Town of Throop, Throop Town facility improvements $25,000 Kolb

Unity House of Cayuga

County, Auburn Programming $1,000 Finch

Victory Volunteer Fire

Department, Victory Equipment upgrades $25,000 Valesky

Vietnam Veterans of America -

Chapter 704, Auburn General operational aid, including

but not limited to, the

purchase of office equipment $5,000 Nozzolio

Village of Fair Haven,

Fair Haven Library repairs $5,500 Oaks

Village of Weedsport

Police Department, Weedsport Computer record

management system $10,000 Valesky

County totals

A look at member distribution for counties in the region for 2009-2010, according to data from the state Assembly and Senate compiled by the state Attorney General's Office:

Onondaga $5,481,500

Tompkins $2,599,500

Oswego $729,000

Cayuga $436,500.00

Wayne $278,000

Cortland $158,500

Seneca $38,000

Staff writer Sarah Gantz can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or sarah.gantz@lee.net