Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins has signed into law the 2026 Westchester County Budget. The $2.5 billion dollar spending plan cuts almost all county department budgets by 8% while eliminating 180 positions, which amounts to about a 5% workforce reduction.
The Board of Legislators cut the 5.27% tax increase that had been included in the budget originally submitted by Jenkins to an increase of 3.7%.
There is a $34.5 million reduction in contracts, technical services and expenses. Overtime and hourly employee costs are cut by $11.6 million. Social services costs are trimmed by $4.5 million. There is a $2.6 million cut in what would be spent on materials and supplies.
“The difficulties of 2025 will carry into 2026 and likely beyond, and this budget reflects the hard, necessary choices before us,” Jenkins said. “This budget is a direct response to Trump turmoil coming out of Washington.”
Upward pressure on spending includes rising health care costs that come to $46.4 million, growth in pensions of $14 million, $10 million in expenses for children with special needs, and a $13 million increase in debt service.
Budget Director Larry Soule explained, “We scrutinized every line of the budget, made across-the-board reductions, and instituted a hiring freeze to ensure long-term stability. The result is a fiscally responsible, tax-cap-compliant plan without compromising the programs residents rely on.”
County Legislator Jewel Williams Johnson, who chairs the Board of Legislator’s Budget and Appropriations Committee, said, “Working together, the Board of Legislators and the administration made hard but necessary choices: every department absorbed cuts, hiring was frozen, and our nonprofit partners faced significant reductions, even as we worked to restore support and protect critical investments in child care and maternal health.”
According to Jenkins, “We cut where we had to, protected what matters most, and delivered a budget that keeps Westchester County stable, compassionate, and fiscally sound.”
