The proposed 2024 budget for Rockland County includes a 2% property tax cut with a total property tax levy of $128,154,000, down from the $20,880,100 in last year’s adopted budget and the 2022 adopted budget and the adopted budget from 2021.
“This 2% reduction is a huge leap from the double-digit tax increases from years past,” County Executive Ed Day said. He emphasized that the county was running a $138 million deficit when he came to office a decade ago.
“Our economic turnaround is nothing short of miraculous,” Day said. “I thank our dedicated employees for staying true to our commitment to conservative spending which is enabling us to absorb costs while still providing reprieve for our residents in a responsible and balanced manner.”
The proposed 2024 budget that Day sent to the county’s legislature calls for $870.7 million in spending.
“We are generally not borrowing by issuing bonds for capital projects; we will be using our own money thus avoiding sky-high interest costs,” Day said. “We avoid accumulating debt that gets kicked down the road. Instead, we are investing in our county and ourselves.”
The budget provides $5 million to be spent in acquiring land for preservation as open space. Federal funds from the American Rescue Plan are slated to be used for a new 911 system including the hiring of six new radio dispatchers. The budget proposes spending $1.5 million for college tuition reimbursements for volunteer fire fighters and emergency medical services personnel.
“We are proposing a new bridge maintenance crew within our Highway Department comprised of three positions,” Day said. “This team will perform essential maintenance on county-owned bridges including, but not limited to, bridge washing, joint repair, bridge rail maintenance and upkeep, and bridge deck repairs. This regular and routine bridge maintenance will increase the lifespan of that infrastructure, and in return save taxpayer money long-term.”
Day said the proposed new budget includes an additional $1 million for the Department of Social Services and $600,000 more for the Office for the Aging.
“Social service programs are continuing to face ever-increasing demand as new state mandates drive up costs,” Day said. “We were recently informed that next year’s pension costs are projected to increase 15%.”
Day pointed out that New York state also is phasing out the federal reimbursement to municipalities for Medicaid costs, known as enhanced Federal Medical Assistance or eFMAP.
“Once fully phased out, this will result in an estimated $9 million loss for Rockland County property taxpayers annually, equivalent of a 6.8% County Property Tax increase,” Day said. “Over a four-year period, this will shift an estimated $3 billion in costs to local taxpayers statewide.”
Day said that he looks forward to working with the County Legislature during the process of adopting the new budget.
