Sullivan County is proposing a 9.1% property tax increase in its tentative 2026 budget, which will go before the legislature to vote on or before the end of the year. 

County officials say the budget “avoids cuts to programs but also faces the reality of increased costs and declining sales tax revenues.”

Indeed, it seems that costs are rising everywhere, from electric bills to groceries to housing.

The all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of economy-wide inflation, increased 0.3 percent from July 2025 to August 2025 and was up 2.9 percent from August 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

And healthcare costs are predicted to increase in the coming months, with consumers buying insurance through the Affordable Care Act plans seeing premiums rise by up to 59 percent. 

These are big numbers. As costs are rising, government-funded programs intended to help low-income people are being cut or delayed, including the SNAP program and heating assistance. 

All of this adds up and forces people to make difficult decisions as they find ways to tighten their belts. 

A nine percent increase in property taxes on top of that will surely hit Sullivan County residents extremely hard who are struggling to make ends meet.

The declining sales tax numbers contributing to the proposed budget should be concerning to county legislators and leaders. 

County Manager Joshua Potosek, in a press release, said he “conveyed to legislators and our economic development partners that it’s absolutely critical we aggressively work on attracting more taxpaying industries to the county.”

We couldn’t agree more. Let’s take a hard look at how we got here, and how we can go forward. 

There is a reason the two-percent tax cap is in place. It has worked well for more than a decade and we certainly hope our current Legislature can right the ship and reduce our tax bills.

There are thousands of residents counting on you.