Byrne Unveils $222M Putnam Budget

Wants Nelsonville station named for McConville
Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne proposed on Wednesday (Oct. 1) a $222 million budget for 2026 with a tax cut he calls the largest in the county's history and a fund to be shared with its six towns and villages, including Cold Spring, Nelsonville and Philipstown.
Byrne also plans to ask the Legislature to approve naming the Sheriff's Office substation on Main Street in Nelsonville in honor of the late Sheriff Kevin McConville, a Cold Spring resident who died in August. "He was not only a trusted law enforcement officer but also a mentor, a colleague and a friend to many," Byrne said.
Byrne's proposed budget would raise spending by $18 million (8.9 percent) offset by $45.2 million in property taxes and $83.5 million in sales-tax revenue, he said during a presentation at the Historic Courthouse in Carmel. The $1 million reduction in the property tax levy equates to a 2 percent cut, he said.
His budget (online at dub.sh/putnam-budget-2026) also sets aside $2.3 million for Putnam's inaugural sales-tax-sharing agreement with Nelsonville, Cold Spring, Philipstown and five other towns and the Village of Brewster. Each municipality will receive a share based on population to be used on infrastructure projects, with a minimum award of $50,000.
The agreement was tied to a two-year extension of a 1 percent increase in its sales tax - from 3 percent to 4 percent - first approved in 2007 and set to expire in November. A majority of the Legislature initially voted against the extension but relented amid pressure from Byrne, the municipalities and Putnam's state representatives.
"Had we not reached a consensus and acted as we did, Putnam County would have turned away over $21 million in sales tax revenue, which would have forced us to raise property taxes, cut services and excessively rely on our fund balance," said Byrne. "We avoided this crisis scenario."
The budget allocates about $6.6 million in general fund reserves and proposes new positions, including a counsel for the majority-Republican Legislature and a part-time counsel for its minority member, Nancy Montgomery, a Democrat who represents Philipstown and part of Putnam Valley.
Byrne is also requesting two specialists for the Department of Social Services, a prosecutor who will specialize in financial crimes for the District Attorney's Office, a personnel specialist, an accountant for the Finance Department and a veterans service officer.
Based on recommendations from a consultant, the public health nurse positions in the Department of Health would be reclassified to a higher pay grade to improve recruitment and retention. Byrne's proposal also contains raises for management employees, ranging from prosecutors and deputy county attorneys to coroners and elections commissioners.
Byrne is proposing a reduction, from 30 percent to 17 percent, in the share of health insurance premiums that newer employees are required to pay. Four of the county's unions have agreed to the reduction, but the change needs the Legislature's approval, he said.
Other initiatives include a one-year extension of the sales tax exemption on clothing and shoes costing less than $110; changing the criteria for farms applying to Putnam's Agricultural District; and piloting a program in which paramedics would provide public health, primary care and preventive services in homes.