Two of my priorities as county executive are fiscal responsibility and listening to our residents. With this transparency in mind, I would like to present the results of a community tax survey launched earlier this month.
The questions concerned county tax policy, including revenue sources as well as my proposed property-tax cut — which, if enacted, would be the largest in Putnam’s history. Poll respondents were asked questions about their knowledge of the issue and preferences in county taxes. We use this unvarnished data to help us determine policy and serve you better, because I firmly believe that public engagement makes better public policy.
When asked to choose a priority for county leaders to tackle, Putnam residents overwhelmingly (72 percent) selected a reduction in their property-tax rate. The runner-up was distributing a portion of sales-tax revenues with all six towns (19 percent).
I appreciate this important feedback, and I look forward to working with our Legislature to address these priorities. To view the results, visit putnamcountyny.gov/salestaxsurvey.
Kevin Byrne, Carmel
Editor’s note: The survey, which had 828 responses, asked residents to indicate whether they would prefer a property tax cut, giving a portion of sales-tax revenue to towns and villages, reduction of the sales tax by 1 percent (6 percent) or making a sales-tax exemption on clothing and footwear below $110 permanent (4 percent).
