Putnam County to sponsor Shakespeare grant
Putnam Executive Kevin Byrne said his budget proposal for 2026 will include the largest property tax cut in county history as he announced other initiatives during his annual State of the County address on Monday (March 3).
Byrne delivered the address at Ace Endico, a food distributor in Brewster that is Putnam’s largest private employer. If the budget legislators approve this fall contains the biggest-ever tax break, it will follow a cut in the 2025 budget that reduced the county’s tax rate to its lowest level in 18 years.
Along with a tax cut, the budget proposal will “fully fund” the Board of Ethics, said Byrne. He also noted that construction is nearly complete on a training center for firefighters and emergency medical personnel that will be named for Michael Neuner, a Brewster firefighter who died in 1997 while battling a house fire.
In addition, he announced that the county will bring farmers and local officials together for an agriculture forum and that two Philipstown residents — former Gov. George Pataki and George Whipple — will co-chair a committee organizing events to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026.
Shakespeare grant
The Legislature on Tuesday (March 4) approved a resolution to have the county sponsor a $3.5 million grant the federal government awarded Hudson Valley Shakespeare for environmental restoration projects at its Philipstown property.
Former President Joe Biden enacted legislation in March 2022 that included the funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s State and Tribal Assistance Grants program. The money will underwrite the remediation of damage from the site’s prior life as the Garrison Golf Course, including for projects such as native meadows and restoration of the property’s pond.
Davis McCallum, the HVS artistic director, said on Wednesday that some remedial measures have been completed. The organization needed the Legislature to ratify the county’s role as sponsor so HVS can begin requesting reimbursement from the grant funds. “We’ve been really fortunate to have broad and bipartisan support for this project,” he said.
Rules updates
Several contentious amendments to the Legislature’s rules approved in January will not be enforced until at least Oct. 15 so the revisions can be reviewed by the Rules Committee.
A moratorium passed by the Legislature on Tuesday covers rules codifying legislators’ power to issue subpoenas, allowing them to require that speakers swear an oath and changing the process for reviewing and approving the county executive’s nominees to lead departments.
Legislator Nancy Montgomery, a Democrat whose district includes Philipstown and part of Putnam Valley, joined with three Republican colleagues — Erin Crowley (Carmel), William Gouldman (Putnam Valley) and Laura Russo (Patterson) — in January to vote against the changes, saying they were being rushed.
The Rules Committee will also review a proposal to allow public comment on agenda items before a vote is held, rather than after, a change Montgomery has repeatedly requested.
Legal spending
The Legislature approved an additional $150,000 to pay private law firms — a request that had been on hold since January because the Law Department had already made two earlier requests for extra funds.
Michael Lewis, the county finance commissioner, said in January that the Law Department received $200,000 after exhausting its $300,000 budget for outside counsel. He said a “good amount” of the billing was from Harris Beach, a firm defending the county in a lawsuit filed by a contractor hired to reconstruct Peekskill Hollow Road.
“I hope going forward that we can budget more responsibly so that we don’t have surprises at the end of the year,” said Amy Sayegh, the Legislature’s chair.
New director
Legislators approved the appointment of Marlene Barrett as director of the Office of Senior Resources. Her responsibilities include managing senior centers in Cold Spring, Carmel, Mahopac and Putnam Valley.
Barrett joined the agency in 2011 and became deputy director in 2023. She has been leading the office since the retirement of Doug Cunningham on Dec. 31.
Livestreaming
For the first time, the Legislature livestreamed its meeting, which Montgomery in a statement called “a long-overdue milestone.” She added: “When I proposed livestreaming in 2020, committee chairs refused to include discussion of this important topic on the agenda, and the Legislature’s chair dismissed it as unnecessary since it wasn’t mandated by New York State. Now we have finally taken a simple but crucial step toward government transparency.”
Tuesday night’s Putnam County Legislature meeting marked a long-overdue milestone: It was livestreamed for the first time. When I first proposed livestreaming in 2020, committee chairs refused to include discussion of this important topic on the agenda, and the Legislature’s chair dismissed it as unnecessary since it wasn’t mandated by New York State. For years, the Legislature outright rejected my proposals and calls to provide this service to the public. Now, we have finally taken a simple but crucial step toward government transparency. Until recently, the only way for the public to follow county government was to attend meetings in person or wait days for an audio recording. Every town, village, and school board in Putnam County records and, in most cases, livestreams their meetings. The Legislature should be no exception. Achieving this took five years of persistent advocacy. While it shouldn’t have been a battle, I’m proud we got here. I want to thank my colleagues Bill Gouldman, Erin Crowley, Laura Russo and County Executive Kevin Byrne for rejecting obstruction and supporting this commonsense reform. Transparency isn’t a partisan issue, it’s a fundamental responsibility. But there’s still more work to do. Chairwoman Amy Sayegh must stop playing games and formally adopt our proposed changes to the legislative rules to ensure livestreaming and public comment are protected. There’s no excuse not to do it. The people of Putnam County deserve an open and accessible government, free from political maneuvering. This victory belongs to the people of Putnam County, who deserve… Read more »
Kevin Byrne just delivered one of the best State of the County addresses I’ve ever heard. Finally, we have a real conservative leader at the local level — someone who walks the walk. Byrne is Putnam County’s Donald Trump: bold, fearless and delivering on his promises. For the first time in 25 years, we’re seeing real tax cuts. He’s opening up county government, making it more transparent and fighting to stop illegal migrants from being dumped into our communities. He’s proving that conservative leadership works, and Putnam County is better for it. The only thing I would have liked to hear: a Putnam County-style “drain the swamp” or DOGE moment. But, honestly, Byrne is already doing it. His audits and spending reviews are rooting out waste and forcing accountability. The old establishment that has run this county like a private club is being exposed. Speaking of the establishment, let’s talk about the RINOs [Republicans in Name Only] on the county Legislature who boycotted Byrne’s speech like petulant children: Greg Ellner, Paul Jonke, Amy Sayegh and Toni Addonizio. These career politicians are the Liz Cheneys, Mitt Romneys and Mitch McConnells of Putnam. They love the title, they love the perks, but when it comes to fighting for the taxpayers? While Byrne is cutting taxes, these frauds were voting to give themselves nearly $50,000 a year for a couple of meetings a month! These so-called Republicans are cashing in on taxpayer money while we struggle with Biden’s inflation. Shameful. It’s time to… Read more »