A change to the funding formula that determines St. Lawrence County towns' premiums will almost double one village's payment, and local leaders are not happy. 

Tim Ahlfeld

One Village of Massena trustee called the change from a formula based on property values and risk to a formula purely based on risk "the dumbest thing (he's) ever heard of," North Country Now reported.

County regulators voted earlier this month to change the formula, which determines the share of premium each town pays to the county's self-insured workers' compensation system. The formula was 50% risk-based, 50% property value-based until regulators moved to transition to a 100% risk-based contribution.

Under the new funding formula, the Village of Massena's premium will go up $155,400, from $168,900 to $324,300. 

“I think what you’ve got more than anything else is political posturing in Canton," said Village of Massena trustee Tim Ahlfeld, who believes the change was the Republican-controlled county board's attempt to get back at Democrat-controlled towns, which all voted against the switch.

"This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of," said Trustee Albert "Herb" Deshaies. "And we've got our legislators voting against it, too. The legislators should have more sense than that … something's got to be crazy there, it's got to be crazy, jumping up that high."

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