Byrne, a Republican, says the state of Putnam County has “never been stronger,” but he still laid out a number of items he wants to work on. Speaking at Ace Endico in Brewster, Byrne says he intends to propose additional tax cuts in his next spending plan.
“We are always working to find new ways to make Putnam County more affordable. And the overwhelming cost we continue to hear about is property taxes," says Byrne. "That’s why, in my budget, I intend to propose the largest property tax cut in Putnam County’s history."
Byrne didn’t specify exactly how much he wants to cut taxes. The county executive says Putnam's property tax rate is already at its lowest level in 18 years.
Youth programs were a large focus of his address. Byrne celebrated the county’s first youth vendor and entrepreneurship fair last year, and says registration for this year’s event is open.
Byrne says his capital plan for next year will include renovations for the Patterson children’s camp "Camp Herrlich,” after the legislature turned back previous attempts to use American Rescue Plan Act funding on the site.
Legislator Laura Russo, a Republican from the 4th District in Patterson, says she’s on board.
“Absolutely, because that is a place that is dear to my heart," says Russo. "It does help a lot of children or students and parents with additional activities, and they're able to send the kids there after school, so they can pick them up. So, I'm proud of that as well."
In one of the bigger announcements of the night, Byrne says he wants to launch a pre-K special education program at Hudson Valley InterArts in Patterson. Byrne says the county currently spends millions of dollars to bus special education preschoolers to facilities in neighboring counties.
“We have special needs children below the age of 6 sitting on buses for multiple hours a day just to get to a facility that can properly meet their needs," says Byrne. "Our executive team, along with the health department, spent months reevaluating and developing a plan to create what is referred to as a 'braided model' with our school districts to provide pre-K services.”
Legislator Erin Crowley, a Republican from the 9th District, says she’s excited by the idea. As a mother of triplets with special needs, she says sending them out of the county was difficult when they were in pre-school. She feels InterArts is a perfect fit.
"That facility is absolutely beautiful," she notes. "The upstairs does already have special-needs programs going on for different age groups, all the way from music to food. To know that my kids would be spending less time on the bus, and having it kind of in our backyard makes more sense."
Byrne also used his speech to target New York City’s congestion pricing plan, which he calls a “money grab.” He also dedicated a large portion of the address to transparency: Byrne says his next budget will fully fund the county Board of Ethics, and the county will post “better financial disclosures” from department heads and county-funded programs on the county’s budget transparency website.
The Republican urged the legislature to pass a package of bills Tuesday, including one that would require the legislature to livestream all of its meetings. Crowley, who proposed the resolution, says it was ultimately removed from the agenda at Tuesday night’s meeting and sent back to the Rules, Enactments, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.
"I am being told it will be brought back to the Rules meeting," says Crowley. "And it was unanimously passed at the previous Rules meeting to the full [council meeting] last night. So, I'm still trying to understand what needs to be discussed."
Legislator William Gouldman, a Republican from the 2nd District in Putnam Valley, says he appreciated just getting to hear the address at Ace Endico, a wholesale food supplier. Gouldman has called for the legislature to host more meetings throughout the county.
“Why? Because it will increase residents coming to the events and getting more involved with the community, and also to showcase different things that we have in Putnam County," he says.
Byrne is expected to give a second version of his address to the legislature on Thursday.
