The passing of the highly contentious Sullivan County 2026 Budget came down to the wire on Thursday, December 18, when Legislators voted 5-3 to pass a new amended budget of $305,738,103 that will increase the tax levy by 2%. 

In favor were Nadia Rajsz, Matthew McPhillips, Brian McPhillips, Catherine Scott and Luis Alvarez. Opposed were Joe Perrello, Nicholas Salomone and Terry Blosser-Bernardo. Amanda Ward was unable to attend.

The vote came after the legislators took an extra week of deliberations to reconsider the budget after two public hearings allowed residents to voice frustration with the proposed 9.1% property tax increase of the tentative budget of $305,746,606 that County Manager Joshua Potosek presented on October 29. 

During a public comment in which she expressed gratitude for the last 25 years of her service working for the county, Treasurer Nancy Buck shared reservations about the budget. “I just want to say that I still stand by the revenue that I certified, and do not agree with what you’re doing today with your budget,” she said.

Before a vote occurred, District 9 Legislator Terry Blosser-Bernardo said, “Let me be clear: I’m a ‘no’ on this budget overall. I believe it’s structurally broken and that we’re shuffling numbers, not really solving problems; I agree with Treasure Buck’s remarks.” 

Blosser-Bernardo then made a motion for amendment to increase the Sheriff’s salary line from $135,000 to $145,000. “Leadership positions that carry real responsibility deserve to be funded with integrity,” she said. “The Sheriff’s role is one of the most demanding and risk bearing positions in our county government.”

The amendment to increase the Sheriff’s salary passed with a 5-3 vote, which required officials to recess in order to make recalculations of the budget before final voting could occur.

District 3 Legislator Brian McPhillips gave a synopsis of the budget’s evolution over the last few weeks, saying that originally, the budget that was presented to Potosek by department heads was 15% of an increase. It was then reduced to 9.1%, which was met with pushback from residents. 

“I agree that I don’t necessarily like the way that the numbers worked out,” McPhillips said, reiterating that public opinion was a driving force that led to the new budget coming in under the tax cap. “But I do think that it’s [the new budget] probably not in the best interest of the county,” he said.

District 7 Legislator Joseph Perrello was outspoken in his condemnation of the budget. “I think these amendments are reckless,” he said. “It’s going to be putting the county next year in a worse position than we are today.”

“I agree with the 2%,” he continued. “[But] we should have been cutting a long time ago. Our increases for salaries, health insurance, pensions, went up $7.5 million.”

Perrello criticized using $5.5 million of the fund balance to cover costs and also the continued investment into the Adult Care Center at Sunset Lake, which he said cost taxpayers $5 million last year. 

“To get the 2% down to where it’s at today, these are all numbers that are inflated,” said Perrello, who compared the legislator’s cost-cutting solutions to citizens trying to reduce their taxes by claiming costs. “We’re doing this the complete opposite: we’re showing people false numbers to show revenues to bring the tax rate down. Just so you know, I vote ‘no’ because these numbers are all B.S.”

McPhillips stood by county employees in his response to Perrello’s critique. “The work that was done by the Office of Management and Budget was top notch, and many hours were put in to produce these numbers,” he said. “These are not fake numbers; you may not agree with the numbers.”

District 4 Legislator Nicholas Salamone weighed in on the debate, saying, “I don’t think they are false numbers, I think the projection could be off. I don’t think anybody’s lying about it, but I have a feeling we’re going downhill, the economy is going downhill; I’m not going to vote for the budget.”

In a subsequent press release, Legislature Chair Nadia Rajsz said, “This was the hardest budget I’ve ever had to work on as a legislator. In the short term, I am very pleased we were able to figure out a way to stay beneath the tax cap, but in the long term, it will be challenging.” 

District 5 Legislator Cat Scott echoed Rajsz’s forecast of challenges to come, saying, “My priority for this budget was to preserve vital services for the citizens of this county while also considering the concerns and feedback provided by the public. Still we are facing a tough year ahead, and I will be closely guarded against spending beyond what was budgeted.” 

Swimming against the naysaying tide was District 1 Legislator Matt McPhillips, who spoke to the positive attributes of the 2026 budget. “This budget supports living wages for county employees, strengthens public safety through our EMS fly car program and continues critical investments in roads, emergency response, and essential services,” he said. 

He also highlighted a $30 million grant to expand fiber-optic broadband access across the county, and a countywide aquifer study, “that will help our municipalities plan for future growth in a smart, data-driven way.”