Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne presents his 2027 budget Oct. 5 at the Historic County Courthouse in Carmel, as Putnam Legislature Chairman Dan Birmingham looks on. By Holly Crocco Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne is proposing $13 million in tax relief in 2027, through the gifting of $6.5 million to local towns and villages for infrastructure projects, and a $6.5 million reduction to the tax levy. “A budget is far more than a financial document,” Byrne said during his

By Holly Crocco The proposed 2027 budget for the Town of Carmel stays within the state-mandated 2 percent property tax cap. “We worked to keep this budget as tight as we could make it, taking into account labor, health care, operation costs – all the things that go into running a town,” said Supervisor Michael Cazzari at the Oct. 7 Carmel Town Board meeting. According to Town Comptroller Mary Ann Maxwell, the proposed $28.6 million levy represents a little more than a $1 mill

By Holly Crocco The Town of Kent is among 22 local governments in New York State to be designated in fiscal stress for the year ending in 2025, according to a recent report by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. “Local governments are facing increased fiscal pressures due to a combination of the end of federal pandemic aid, higher inflation, rising operating costs, and moderating sales tax revenue growth,” he said. DiNapoli launched the Fiscal Stress Monitoring System in 2013

A Brewster man, who has reportedly been living in the country illegally, was arrested twice in 18 hours following separate robbery and forcible touch incidents in Putnam. According to Putnam County Sheriff Brian Hess, at about 9 p.m. Sept. 29, Putnam County 911 dispatched deputies to the Southeast train station after a female passenger reported being forcibly touched by a male aboard a train. The suspect fled before deputies arrived. An officer quickly located Diego Rodriguez

By Holly Crocco Two items that are budget-related were acted upon during the Oct. 6 meeting of the full County Legislature – just one day after the county executive presented his proposed 2027 spending plan. Legislator Nancy Montgomery, D-Philipstown, put forth a motion to dedicate even more funds for mental health services than have been included in the proposed 2027 budget. She said the legislators received a “letter of necessity” earlier that day from the county executive

By Holly Crocco Putnam County Supreme Court Judge Victor Grossman last week found that County Executive Kevin Byrne’s campaign violated New York campaign finance law, and ordered it to refund $21,526.11 in contributions that were accepted in excess of the legal limit. State law prohibits campaigns for the office of county executive from receiving contributions that exceed 5 cents multiplied by the total number of active, registered voters in the county, from any one contribut

From left are Democrat Brett Yarris, Conservative Tatiana Brahimi, and Republican incumbent Kevin Byrne, who are all running for the county executive’s office in the November election. By Holly Crocco The Putnam County Press/Times hosted a debate Sept. 30 featuring the three candidates running for Putnam County executive. Below are wrap-ups of each candidate’s viewpoints. To watch the debate, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/putnampress and click through the five p

By Holly Crocco Southeast Town Supervisor Joseph Castellano has presented a tentative 2027 budget that includes no property tax increase. “It’s been a busy, busy few months developing this budget,” he said at the Oct. 1 Southeast Town Board meeting. The spending plan was delivered to the town clerk and town board three days prior. The $10.8 million spending plan includes $19.6 million in expenses and $8.8 million in revenue. The highway budget (townwide and outside the villag

By Holly Crocco The Town of Putnam Valley is considering a 7.28 percent tax levy increase in 2027, which would make it one of the many towns breaking the state-mandated property tax cap next year. The tentative budget, which was distributed during a special Sept. 30 meeting of the Putnam Valley Town Board, uses $2.2 million from the fund balance, leaving $3.5 million in reserves. “It’s a healthy fund balance,” said Town Supervisor Alison Jolicoeur. “It’s not a long-term solut

A rendering of what the property at 34 Gleneida Avenue in Carmel could look like, provided by Richard Othmer Jr. By Holly Crocco The county’s Physical Services Committee voted Sept. 22 to demolish the former Putnam Motor Sales building at 34 Gleneida Avenue in Carmel, with future plans for the site likely to incorporate a green space or courtyard. “A lot of people see this as a project that can maybe lead to a great Renaissance in the Town of Carmel, and that it’s going to

Brewster students help cut the ribbon, and then give the new playground at JFK Elementary School a whirl. Brewster, teachers, staff, and students gathered Sept. 14 to officially open the new playground at JFK Elementary School. The site includes arching spider webs, tall slides, a climbing wall, steps and bridges, bouncy chairs, a merry-go-round, and a specially designated area for pre-kindergarten students. “The design and vision of the playground was a team effort,” said As

By Holly Crocco The Carmel School Board is considering options to equip every school bus with GPS technology, and whether parents should be able to access that information. Superintendent of Schools Michael Plotkin told the Carmel School Board during its Sept. 22 meeting that the discussion has been ongoing since the spring, with district transportation leaders saying such technology could help improve the efficiency of the more than 80 routes driven by more than 100 buses ea

By Holly Crocco The Putnam County Press/Times will host a debate featuring the three candidates running for Putnam County executive Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 5 p.m., at a local library. The event will be livestreamed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/putnampress and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/putnampresstimes. You do not need a social media account to watch. Simply open any web browser and go directly to either profile (we recommend the Facebook link for the smoothest exper

Disclosure: The Putnam County Press/Times is published under The Putnam County Press & Times LLC, which is a subsidiary of the Whipple Foundation for the Preservation of Putnam County, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. By Holly Crocco Five Putnam County voters have filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court alleging that County Executive Kevin Byrne has accepted $19,468 above the maximum permitted by New York State Election Law, in his bid for reelection. Election law pro

By Holly Crocco The Town of Putnam Valley has a Natural Resource Inventory that is eight years old but was never officially adopted. During the Sept. 16 Putnam Valley Town Board meeting, Ted Warren, public policy manager for the Hudson Highlands Land Trust, explained that the organization helped the town draft its NRI in 2018. “A Natural Resource Inventory compiles and describes important, naturally occurring resources in a municipality, such as forest, streams, wildlife habi

By Holly Crocco Discussion regarding what to do with the county’s $191 million fund balance continued last week, with lawmakers debating whether a “tax levy pause” would be doable in 2027, or if it would hurt the county’s financial standing. “I’d like to reframe it is a tax levy ‘timeout’ for 2027,” said Legislator Dan Birmingham, R-Southeast, during the county’s Sept. 22 Budget Committee meeting. “We had a $1 million tax decrease this year. And $1 million out of $163 million

From left are Sculptor Mike Keropian, Jo Ann Schedler and Rainer Shooter of the Stockbridge Munsee Band of the Mohican Nation, and Kent Historical Society President Tom Breslin. Photo provided by KHS. Members of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians were joined by community members at a dedication ceremony for a new 4-foot-tall bronzes statue of Daniel Nimham – the last Sachem, or chief, of the Wappinger Native American tribe and a Revolutionary War patriot – on Sept

By Holly Crocco The Putnam County Legislature is expected to approve a property tax exemption for those who create accessory dwelling units on their properties for long-term rentals. New York State has given counties the option to provide a temporary exemption on the increase in value created when a homeowner creates a legal accessory dwelling unit, and Legislator Nancy Montgomery, D-Philipstown, has put forth a resolution asking the county to utilize that tool to increase th

By Holly Crocco The first weekend of September was a couple of sunny, warm days – ideal for the throngs of visitors who descended on Cold Spring to enjoy a late summer (or early fall) hike and enjoy views of the Hudson River and the Hudson Highlands. It was not ideal for those who live and work in the village. “I mean, let’s just be honest, we got slammed this weekend,” said Mayor Kathleen Foley during the Sept. 9 Cold Spring Village Board meeting. “We were overwhelmed with v

The Southeast Planning Board recently voted to amend the statement of findings from the 2021 environmental impact statement for the Lincoln Logistics development on Pugsley Hill Road, to support removal of the condition that trucks cannot operate overnight, citing that review of traffic and noise show there will not be an adverse impact. “If the board approves the amended finding statement tonight, then they will also vote on referring this to the town board for an amendment