Lowers taxes, funds EMS, youth programs
Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino introduced on Tuesday (Oct. 29) a $627 million spending plan for 2025 that raises expenses by 18 percent and lowers the property tax rate by 4 percent.
Her first budget as county executive represents an $18 million increase in spending and is balanced using $101 million in property taxes, $268 million in sales tax revenue (a 2 percent increase) and $20 million in fund balance.
The Dutchess County Legislature will consider her proposals before approving a budget for 2025 by year-end.
Under Serino’s proposal, the property tax rate for homeowners and businesses falls to $2.14 per $1,000 of assessed value, a reduction from the 2024 rate of $2.23.
Without new spending for grant-funded costs and “highly reimbursable state mandates,” the budget would have increased by 1 percent, according to Serino, who began her term in January. Other added expenses include $9 million more for health insurance and pensions and 4 percent salary increases for sheriff’s deputies under a new three-year contract approved last month.
Serino said the budget is “focused on people — the lives we touch and the future we are building together” and responds to concerns about affordability. “We have delivered a responsible budget that makes essential investments in Dutchess County and provides the services our residents rely on while limiting the impact to our taxpayers,” she said.
In addition to continuing to exempt from sales taxes clothing and footwear under $110 per item, the county forecasts that it will distribute $46 million in sales taxes to Beacon, the City of Poughkeepsie and the county’s towns under a revenue-sharing formula.
Serino is also launching a Real Time Crime Center using $200,000 from a new Community Benefit Fund, which comprises funds made available from Dutchess’ share of the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
Another $200,000 from the Community Benefit Fund is being split by the Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office for crime and public safety programs, and $100,000 from the fund will underwrite a refrigerated truck and a plan to reduce hunger through the county’s Food Security Council.
Serino is allocating $2 million to expand coverage for ambulance services, $250,000 for drop-in centers under the county’s Youth Opportunity Union program, $200,000 for scholarships to summer camps and $35,000 to expand transportation for seniors.
Dutchess will award another round of grants from a Housing Trust Fund created to help developers build affordable housing, said Serino. The county is also using $400,000 from the state’s settlement with Juul to launch an anti-vaping campaign, she said.
More on Serino’s budget proposal is online at dub.sh/dutchess-budget-24. The county executive will hold a town hall to discuss her budget at 6 p.m. on Wednesday (Nov. 13) at the Beekman Library, 11 Town Center Boulevard in Hopewell Junction.
