SULLIVAN COUNTY –– The County has set two public hearings on the proposed 2023 Budget for December 6 at 5 p.m. and December 8 at 11 a.m. in the Hearing Room of the Government Center in Monticello. 

Written comment is being accepted by Clerk of the Legislature AnnMarie Martin at annmarie.martin@sullivanny.us or 100 North Street, Monticello, NY 12701.

“As presented to the Legislature by County Manager Josh Potosek, the Tentative 2023 County Budget eliminates the Solid Waste Access Fee and aims to keep taxes level while not reducing services or laying off employees,” Legislature Chairman Rob Doherty noted. “My colleagues and I may modify that proposal before we adopt the Budget in mid-December. In the meantime, residents and taxpayers are welcome to let us know what they think of the budget at these upcoming hearings, or via email to our Clerk.”

As the Democrat previously reported the tentative budget totals $267,069,580 and features a projected .127 percent tax rate decrease –– the first since 2019. 

Budget highlights include  $21 million for road and bridgework throughout the County; $5 million for a 20-year building plan with County facilities and the creation of an indoor arena at SUNY Sullivan; $1 million to keep Move Sullivan’s buses running along four newly expanded routes; $200,000 to implement recommendations of the just-completed Housing Study; $200,000 to invest in employee training, higher education and leadership development; $200,000 to demolish blighted properties via the Sullivan County Land Bank; and $150,000 for a Countywide Parks Master Plan.

Furthermore, the proposed budget would allocate more funding for the Sullivan Promise Scholarship (doubling the tuition reimbursement from one year to two years), the Youth Bureau, and the Bureau of Fire’s firefighter recruitment effort.

The County Clerk’s Office and the Department of Motor Vehicles are also slated to renovate their offices to “improve workflow and customer service,” and the Office of Emergency Management is expected to add a deputy commissioner and support staff.

The tentative budget, which the County must adopt by December 20, can be accessed through the County website, and it is expected that more discussion will occur at the Legislature’s upcoming committee meetings on December 1 and 8.