Putnam County’s finances are in the strongest position they have been in a generation, and that is by design.
We cut the county property-tax levy by $2.5 million over three years, the largest county property-tax cut in Putnam history. We eliminated the county sales tax on essential clothing and shoes, in-store and online. We suspended the county gas tax on anything over $3 per gallon. We eliminated park fees. We reduced long-term county debt by more than half. And we built reserves so we can strengthen our partnerships and deliver more tax cuts in the future, which will be visible in our proposed 2027 county budget.
That is what a healthy fund balance is for. It is not idle cash. It is the tool that lets a county pay down debt and cut taxes when times are good, and avoid raising them when they are not.
Our countywide mill rate is now $2.39, back to pre-recession levels and the lowest in nearly 20 years. We are positioned to drive it down further. We also created Putnam’s first real sales-tax revenue-sharing agreement with our towns and villages, so more of that revenue goes back to local communities for infrastructure instead of sitting only at the county level.
Before this administration, Putnam property taxes had risen for more than 10 consecutive years. We reversed that cycle. For years, people in Putnam County government said you cannot cut taxes. We proved them wrong.
Nearly 10 years in elective service, I have opposed every tax hike on Putnam residents.
Oversight belongs in that same record. Early in my term I asked the State Comptroller to come to Putnam and conduct a full risk assessment of county finances. That work led to the 2024 audit of parks and golf-course collections. They recommended stronger controls. We put them in place, including a countywide cash-handling policy. I welcome the Comptroller’s office back anytime.
Transparent books and lower taxes are not competing goals. They are the same goal, which is also why the county already has an Auditing Department under the legislative branch that should be put to work.
The measure of county finance is simple: Are taxes going down? Is debt going down? Are we planning the next cut instead of the next increase?
On those questions, Putnam’s record is clear. This administration has done more on tax cuts and affordability than any other. We are not the federal government or the state. But where we have the ability to make a meaningful difference, we have, including in ways many said were not possible.
There will always be more work to do, and I am eager to do it.
Look for more tax relief in our 2027 county budget, including another major cut to the county property-tax levy and my proposal to make the sales-tax exemption on essentials permanent.
Kevin Byrne is the Putnam County Executive and is running for re-election.
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