"Today we have engineers looking at the river crossing in Au Sable Forks – that one crossing, that provides water for the towns of Black Brook, Jay and AuSable Forks is going to cost $350,000,” Douglas said. “Those are things that people don’t budget for, that municipalities don’t budget for. Those are long range planning things and you try and get state and federal aid.”

Douglas has been opposed to overriding the state’s new 2 percent cap on property tax growth. But flood damage may change his mind about an override to cover NEXT year’s budget.

"We were working on town and county budgets trying to see how we could fit into the cap, and unfortunately it was going to mean cutting services that people rely on heavily.”

Douglas said the county is still putting cost estimates together, and that people should “stay tuned” to see what’s going to happen ultimately.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has said the property tax law has a built-in relief valve if communities need to raise additional revenue for flood-related costs. An override needs approval by 60 percent of voters.