"I did not hear anything about it. It was a shock to me," said Republican BOE Commissioner Michele Sardo.

What You Need To Know

  • The Onondaga County Legislature passed a budget last week with cuts to the commissioners' salaries

  • Commissioners say there was no mention of it in early budget meetings

  • The county executive later vetoed the decision

"It was out of left field. It was not talked about in any of our budget meetings," said Democratic Commissioner Dustin Czarny.

Talking to both commissioners of the Onondaga County Board of Elections, they will tell you just how tough this year has been.

Despite the commissioners opposing parties, both face unique challenges performing their duties. Preparing for the next year, in which the county has $84 million less, both were part of meetings with the county legislature as legislators were deciding a budget.

In those meetings, there was no mention of a pay cut to the commissioners, but once the budget was passed Thursday, there was a $7,000 salary cut to both.

But Republican County Executive Ryan McMahon then vetoed the decision. Onondaga County Democrats also opposed the cuts, voting no on the amended budget last week.