The proposed 2026 Putnam County budget calls for a tax rate of 2.39 percent, the lowest rate in 20 years, as well as a $1 million cut to the property tax levy, the largest in county history, according to County Executive Kevin Byrne.
Byrne presented his executive budget in front of the County Legislature on Wednesday (Oct. 1) evening.
In his hourlong remarks, Byrne provided details of his proposed $221.7 million spending package, saying that the sales tax exemption on clothing and footwear purchased in Putnam County and online would be extended to March 2027.
Starting next year, the executive budget directs approximately $2.3 million in new sales tax revenue to the county’s nine towns and villages for economic development such as infrastructure and capital projects.
The proposed budget also calls for investments in several key areas, including recruitment and retention, transportation, mental health, special education, and paramedicine, which fills a gap in demand for pre-hospital care by empowering emergency medical service providers to administer advanced medical care to patients in the community. The budget also presented a proposal which reaffirms the county’s commitment to the Row of Honor, a patriotic display of American flags featured along Lake Gleneida in Carmel periodically throughout the year. Byrne is asking the legislature to codify the Row of Honor into law to help ensure its permanence in Putnam County.
If enacted, the 2026 county budget would also support programs and activities across multiple nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations, including the Putnam County Libraries Association and Cornell Cooperative Extension, which serve thousands of residents and visitors to the county. In addition, Byrne’s Revolutionary Putnam County Advisory Committee has secured tens of thousands of dollars in private-sector commitments to support events and educational programs related to the 250th anniversary of America’s independence, bolstered by additional support included in the executive budget.
Byrne acknowledged that external inflationary factors, such as the rising costs of healthcare and energy, have increased expenditures compared with last year’s fiscal plan. However, he said that at $2,081 per resident, Putnam County’s spending still ranks below that of all other lower Hudson Valley counties.
The county is using $4.7 million to pay off a bond it used to purchase the Putnam County Golf Course and surrounding property in 2004, resulting in savings from future interest rates and alleviating Putnam taxpayers from restrictive federal rules related to the golf course’s operations. Byrne said that if Putnam County continues with its practice of limiting new borrowing, it will further reduce its long-term debt by 58 percent since he took office.
During the presentation Byrne paid his respects to the late Sheriff Kevin McConville and, along with Acting Sheriff Brian Hess, presented a proposal to the legislature to name the Sheriff Department’s Nelsonville substation in McConville’s honor. Byrne also acknowledged longtime public servants Personnel Director Paul Eldridge and Bureau of Emergency Services Commissioner Robert Lipton, thanking them for their years of service as they near their respective planned retirements.
“My budget dramatically cuts taxes, pays down debt, and invests in the essential services our residents need,” said Byrne. “From livestreaming public meetings to creating a one-stop budget website to leading on financial disclosure and ethics reform, we have remained the most transparent administration in Putnam County history and consistently acted as responsible stewards of taxpayer funds.
“The 2026 budget is a bold fiscal vision for Putnam County that makes our community more affordable, accessible, and safer than ever before,” he continued. “I look forward to receiving questions and feedback from county legislators so that together we can deliver an on-time budget for the taxpayers of Putnam.”
Byrne’s proposed budget will next be evaluated by the County Legislature, and a final fiscal plan is expected to be adopted in November.
To view a summary as well as details of the 2026 Putnam County budget, visit the county’s Budget Transparency website here. The full budget address can be viewed at PutnamNY.gov/26budget.
Article provided by County Executive’s Office
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here