ONEIDA COUNTY, N.Y. -- The 2013 Oneida County budget passes almost unanimously. Legislators voted 28 to one to approve the spending plan.

The budget will include a 2.3 percent tax rate increase, which is slightly lower than the 2.95 proposed by County Executive Anthony Picente. That amounts to roughly a $20 property tax hike for the average homeowner.

Picente says his administration's policies have saved tax payers money in recent years, but blames rising Medicaid costs for part of the tax hikes.

The other rising cost in the budget is the county's high-tech 911 center, which added up to a 1.7 percent tax increase on its own.