Putnam County Moves Forward With Sales Tax Plan, Public Speaking, and Early Learning Center

This week in Putnam County Government saw some good, some bad, and some ugly. It unfortunately captured everything that has been problematic in our government, highlighting a fracture that runs so deep, it can’t help but male tax payers and residents question its effectiveness. Let’s dive in:

Public Speaking: Good

Originally introduced by District 9 Legislator Erin Crowley back in February, and something I have been happy to support then and since, the Public Speaking resolution has taken a while to get to this point, and still with work to be done.

The latest update on this, after it was abruptly pulled from the March agenda for that months full legislative slate, is several more rounds of discussions, including in April when it did not appear on the agenda at all, which led to my reminding our legislators the crucial role the public plays. At the May Rules committee meeting, District 7 Legislator Dan Birmingham introduced an amended version of the resolution that everyone expressed support of.

However, since this was up for discussion only in this meeting, the earliest it can receive a committee vote is at the June Rules committee meeting, which means it will not receive a full legislative vote until July, six months after it was first introduced. In my view, this is entirely way too long to codify what should be an easy addition to the legislative manual.

Giving the public the right to speak before votes are taken, and to ensure they are given every opportunity to be heard on an issue, is essential and foundational to our very existence as a nation. The rights of the public must be codified, not simply agreed to with a wink and a nod. Our constitution only exists because a compromise was reached as to the importance of codifying public protections.

So, to get the constitution ratified, they added 10 amendments known as the bill of rights, the first of them being the freedom of speech. This is the right to be heard and to be critical of our government without the government taking retribution against us or silencing us. It is passed time Putnam County gets on board with this with a full commitment to its virtue. My comments to the Legislature on this latest development are below.

Sales Tax: Good, But Ugly

Back in February, on the 19th, I stood with Putnam Valley Town Supervisor Jackie Annabi to request that the Putnam County Legislature work out a plan to return a portion of the millions of excess sales tax revenue collected over budget by the county, back to the towns and municipalities to supplement their underfunded budgets for crucial infrastructure projects.

This is notable because since then, and thanks to consistent public pressure, movement has occurred on this. First, the County Executive, Kevin Byrne, has since become open to this on his end, and in April, reached a compromise with all of the town supervisors and village mayors on a plan that would return 1/9 of 1% od sales tax revenue.

However, this was contingent on the county sales tax rate staying at 4%. In March, and then again in April, Legislators Ellner and Birmingham have each introduced Sales Tax Rate cuts below the 4%, and were opposed to redistributing money to the towns and local municipalities. In April, I strongly advocated AGAINST cutting the sales tax rate, viewing it as effectively meaningless for the average family.

After the County Executive, reached his compromise, the legislature, changed its mind on redistributing funds back to the towns, and offered the towns to split $5 Million a year for two years, which would have been more than they received in their compromise with the County Executive. This is notable because it was also NOT tied to the sales tax rate, the legislature believing they could redistribute these funds AND cut the sales tax.

It should also be noted that Legislator Nancy Montgomery, who has been advocating for redistribution for years, wanted to share 50% of excess sales tax revenue with the towns.

The hang up on this offer from the legislature from the towns perspective was sustainability. What happens after tow years? They viewed the County Executive’s offer as more sustainable.

Ultimately, the towns and the County Executive, being up against a state budgeting deadline, went beyond the legislature to the state delegation representing Putnam County to request legislation codifying this, along with keeping the county sales tax rate at 4%.

This forced the legislature’s hand, resulting on an up and down vote on the state bill which would have cut the sales tax rate to 3% if voted down, resulting in a $40,000,000 game of chicken. The legislation passed 7-1, with outgoing District 6 Legislator Jonke the lone dissenting vote.

So, more tax dollars will be kept local and the sales tax rate remains at 4%, securing a funding a source that allows the county to cut property taxes. Good, but ugly.

Early Learning Center: Bad, and Ugly

The truth is, this is likely going to end up passing, with a special committee vote scheduled for June 10th. However, this entire process on this topic is everything the people hate about government.

From questions on transparency between government branches, to eleventh hour concerns threatening to hold up a crucial project, to shouting matches in committee meetings. How could families watch our county government function in this way think their problems are going to be solved?

To summarize, at a health committee meeting back in April, this project was presented and received overwhelming support from all nine legislators, on the merits. It was noted, that none of the legislators on the health committee had toured the proposed building for this intiative, which would lead to the turmoil to come.

Earlier this month, Legislator Ellner penned a press release in which he called for the county to slow down so all the details could be worked out and understood on this program, taking issue with how County Executive Byrne had handled this.

This led to many families who are depending on this, some of whom with children who have special needs, to come to a physical services meeting and voice their concerns.

However, because this topic was not on the agenda, they were not permitted to speak on this. This led to shouting, and even County Executive Byrne coming in and getting in on the discussion himself. This ultimately resulted in a lengthy executive session behind closed doors, leading to the topic being added to the agenda for the Audit committee.

However, I was very troubled by the display of governance from our elected officials, and I rose to speak and let them know that when they behave in that way, when issues of such importance become a political football, real families pay the price, heightening the fear and anxiety they already live with on a daily basis.

After it was further discussed at the Audit Committee meeting on May 22nd, it was decided that it would be put to a committee vote on June 10th, at a special Physical Services committee meeting.

So, as I said, it is good this will move forward. But the process in getting here was bad, and ugly at times. We need to do better to assure the families, especially those most vulnerable among us, do not have their fears and anxieties amplified by those of us elected ands entrusted to help them through those feelings.