Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne has held a town hall meeting at the Southeast Town Hall to give county residents details about his proposed 2026 county budget. County spending next year is expected to come to $221.7 million, with a proposed $1 million cut to the property tax levy. PutnamCounty tax rates vary depending on location, but what Byrne is proposing would represent an overall rate of $2.39 per $1,000 of assessed value, the lowest rate in nearly 20 years.
The new budget also proposes extending to March 2027 a sales tax exemption for clothing and footwear purchased in the county. The budget includes a provision to share approximately $2.3 million in new sales tax revenue with the county’s nine towns and villages for economic development such as infrastructure and capital projects.
Enabling legislation for the sales tax sharing was passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Hochul this past August.
Byrne points out that his budget funds personnel recruitment and retention, transportation, mental health, special education, and paramedicine, which empowers emergency medical service providers to administer advanced medical care to patients. The budget also presented a proposal to continue funding the Row of Honor, a patriotic display of American flags featured along Lake Gleneida in Carmel periodically throughout the year.
The proposed 2026 county budget continues to support programs and activities across multiple nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations, including the Putnam County Libraries Association and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Byrne points out that the 2026 budget is his third as county executive and since taking office as county executive in 2023 he has not raised property taxes. He pegs spending at $2,081 per Putnam resident, lower on a per capita basis than other lower Hudson Valley counties. The county is using $4.7 million to pay off a bond it used to purchase the Putnam County Golf Course and surrounding property in 2004, resulting in savings from future interest payments.
“My budget dramatically cuts taxes, pays down debt, and invests in the essential services our residents need,” Byrne said. “The 2026 budget is a bold fiscal vision for Putnam County that makes our community more affordable, accessible, and safer than ever before.”
The County Legislature is reviewing the budget proposed by Byrne and is expected to adopt a final spending plan in November.
