By Holly Crocco The County Legislature in October voted to put aside more than $6 million to create a property tax relief program for homeowners in Putnam County, but several months later, the funds are still sitting in purgatory. Former Legislator Paul Jonke, who retired from the governing body in December, returned before the board during its May 12 Rules Committee meeting to get a status update. He explained that in October, the county voted to return $200 to the 30,000 ow

By Holly Crocco With the Putnam County Legislature failing to approve the addition of a “taxpayer transparency” chapter to the county code during a committee meeting in April, one last attempt was made at the Legislature’s May 5 meeting to move the matter forward. Proposed by Legislator Laura Russo, R-Patterson, earlier this year, the Taxpayer Transparency Act would formalize many actions that are already taking place. It would require the commissioner of finance to maintain

By Holly Crocco The Putnam County Legislature is considering changing the way volunteers are appointed to the county’s Board of Ethics. Currently, the board is comprised of five individuals who are appointed by the county executive and approved by the Legislature. During the May 12 Rules Committee meeting, Legislator Tommy Regan, R-Southeast, proposed amending the county code to state that two members be appointed by the county executive, two by the Legislature chairperson, a

By Holly Crocco A simple request to use $12,895 from the sheriff’s department contingency funds to pay off the remainder of a lease for a vehicle dedicated to the Co-Response Team prior to the grant’s conclusion recently sparked a greater conversation about the future of the program. “This is a very complex fund transfer,” said Legislator Nancy Montgomer, D-Philipstown, at the County Legislature’s May 5 meeting. The county received a $400,000 Community Oriented Policing Servi

By Holly Crocco The Putnam County Legislature voted 8-1 last week to send a memorialization up to Albany supporting State Sen. Rob Rolison’s proposed “utility tax holiday.” Rolison, R-Poughkeepsie, has proposed a one-year suspension of utility bill and tax surcharges and a two-year suspension of green energy gas taxes, with the hopes of providing relief to residents facing high utility costs. “All of us in this room have received calls from residents that their utility bills

By Holly Crocco With more than one community voting down a crisis stabilization center within its borders, Putnam County is left with $2.1 million in federal funding that was attached to the project and which will need to be returned if a compatible project isn’t selected soon. The county original planned to utilize American Rescue Plan Act funding to contract with People USA to create and operate a 24/7 crisis stabilization center, which has repeatedly been shot down by comm

By Holly Crocco The Town of Southeast has been down this road before. During the April 16 Southeast Town Board meeting, residents of Maple Road and the neighboring streets once again pleaded with the town to commit to paving at least a portion of the dirt road, which provides the only way in and out of the neighborhood. Will Angiolillo of James J. Hahn Engineering, P.C., in Brewster, said it’s not simply a matter of paving. “The key to this road is it’s right along the reserv

By Holly Crocco The Cold Spring Village Board continued discussions on its tentative 2026-27 budget during its most recent meetings, with the public offering input on the spending plan. The proposed $5.5 million budget increases the tax levy by 3.7 percent, or $2 million, which is within the state-mandated cap. “It’s an unstable economy and costs in every sector are skyrocketing into double-digit percentages,” said Mayor Kathleen Foley during the April 8 board meeting, where

By Rob Sample The Putnam County Legislature again wrestled with the fractious issue of hiring independent legal counsel for the governing body during its April 8 meeting, ultimately failing to achieve the six votes needed to make it law. Legislative counsel is employed through a contract the Legislature has for legal services under the County Attorney’s Office. While the Legislature has typically had its own outside counsel, that contract was not renewed in 2024. At that time

Both the Cold Spring Village Board and the Philipstown Town Board voted last week to initiate joint Article 78 proceedings against the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, Inc., project manager, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. The village board voted unanimously in favor of taking legal action, while the town council vote was 4-1, with Trustee Judy Farrell being the lone vote against the measure. HHFT proposes to build a 7.5-mile-long pub

By Holly Crocco The county is pushing back against a mandate from Albany that would require all school districts across the state to begin purchasing zero-emission (electric) buses by 2027, with a full transition away from traditional buses by 2035 – a measure that would cost districts multi-millions. “Residents in Putnam County and throughout the Hudson Valley are facing a serious affordability crisis – one that is causing families to make hard choices over which bills to pa

Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne last week announced his intention to create a new Mental Health Services Fund totaling more than $2 million that he says will protect and honor the county’s commitment to addressing the growing mental health needs throughout the region. The fund would be established through the assignment of unassigned general fund balance. “This is a major step forward in our ongoing commitment to strengthening mental and behavioral health services in Putn

By Rob Sample A proposal for a major subdivision on a parcel at 301 Milltown Road was the subject of a public hearing March 23 by the Southeast Planning Board, and drew comments/concerns from owners of neighboring properties prior to the matter moving on to the town board. The project was first proposed by businessman Tom Nejame of Danbury, under the auspices of his firm Nejame New York Land, LLC. He seeks to divide an almost 48-acre parcel into four building lots. Each would

Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne delivers his State of the County address March 2 at the Joe Palumbo Soccer Academy in Putnam Valley. Photo by Chloe Wareham-Gordon. By Holly Crocco A more affordable, accountable, and accessible county government that serves every resident was lauded by Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne during his State of the County address March 2 at the Joe Palumbo Soccer Academy in Putnam Valley. “From day one of this administration, we committed ours

A slide shared by Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Executive Director Peter Mullen at the March 5 Philipstown Town Board meeting. The Philipstown Town Board on March 5 approved a new advisory committee to propose amendments to the town’s “equal protection” amendment, heard a proposal for a memorial garden for suicide loss survivors, and received an update on the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail from Executive Director Peter Mullen. Town Supervisor John Van Tassel thanked HHFT for a $

By Rob Sample Facing a host of expensive infrastructure needs, the Cold Spring Village Board on Feb. 25 grappled with spending priorities for 2026-27 – the village’s next fiscal year. No decisions were made at the first of what will be several budget roundtables prior to the official budget deadline of March 20 and public hearing April 8. However, Mayor Kathleen Foley and Village Accountant Michelle Ascolillo both hinted at a modest tax increase, enabling the village to cope

Joseph Castellano will fill the role of Southeast town supervisor through November. By Holly Crocco The Southeast Town Board voted unanimously Feb. 19 to appoint former Putnam County Legislator Joseph Castellano as the interim town supervisor, effective March 1. He will serve through Nov. 3, when a special election will be held to fill the seat throughout the remainder of the term. According to the resolution confirming his appointment, the board found it “necessary and appro

By Holly Crocco Putnam County has been chosen by the state to participate in a pilot program to address PFAS contamination in private wells. “Water quality continues to be an area of focus for the department,” said Putnam Health Department Commissioner Rian Rodriguez at the Feb. 11 meeting of the County Legislature’s Health Committee. “Whenever we can participate in programs that may assist our residents with environmental concerns, we attempt to do so.” The New York State De

Local activists packed the Philipstown Town Hall for the Town Board’s Feb. 5 meeting to discuss proposed updates to the town’s “equal protection resolution.” The town originally adopted a version of the resolution in April 2017, but with the recent civil unrest throughout the country and Immigrations & Customs Enforcement officers making arrests, a local citizens group called Joining Forces has submitted a stronger 2026 version of the resolution to the Town Board for adoption

By Holly Crocco With the proposed Putnam County mental health crisis stabilization center that was planned for Stoneleigh Avenue having been voted down by the Carmel Planning Board earlier this month, the County Legislature is now scrambling to spend $2.5 million in American Recovery Plan Act funds that were tied to the project so that it doesn’t have to be returned to the federal government. “At this point, with the ARPA deadlines, the money has to be spent by the end of thi

By Rob Sample After listening to several sessions of public comment, the Putnam Valley Town Board unanimously decided to withdraw a series of proposed townwide zoning changes during its Jan. 28 meeting. “We decided to withdraw the proposed changes based on public input and on the advice of our newly appointed town attorneys, the firm of Daniels, Porco & Lusardi,” said Town Supervisor Alison Jolicoeur. Dave Daniels, managing partner at Daniels, Porco & Lusardi, noted that the

Southeast Town Supervisor Nick Durante By Holly Crocco During an emotional testimony at the Jan. 22 Southeast Town Board meeting, Supervisor Nick Durante informed the public that he will be resigning from his post. “After many long and thoughtful conversations, along with a great deal of personal reflection, I’ve decided to step down and resign from my position as town supervisor,” he announced. “I’ll remain on for as long as needed to help my replacement move forward.” While

By Holly Crocco The Carmel Planning Board voted unanimously Jan. 28 to deny an application by People USA to develop a crisis stabilization center in the hamlet. “We spent several months analyzing data, challenging People USA with a lot of questions, listing to the public quite a bit,” said Chairman Anthony Giannico prior to the 6-0 vote. While some audience members applauded the outcome, after the vote, the applicant simply packed up and left the meeting. Throughout the past

By Holly Crocco A number of lawmakers and residents voiced their opinions during a Jan. 15 public hearing on a charter change that was approved by the Putnam County Legislature in December that would allow the Legislature to hire independent counsel for both its majority and minority parties. The matter was before County Executive Kevin Byrne to either be signed into law or vetoed and sent back to the Legislature to be refined. (Due to anticipated inclement weather, this week

By Rob Sample Southeast residents aired their concerns at the first of what will be several public hearings on a proposal to build an office and retail complex at the corner of Danbury Road (Route 6) and Starr Ridge Road. Rraci Associates, a Westchester County real estate and property development firm, seeks to develop a retail complex consisting of four buildings, 130 spaces for parking, stormwater facilities, and a conceptual dog park. The parcel is 10.39 acres in size. As

Southeast Town Councilman Eric Larca has presented a concept to transform the former Garden Street Elementary School into a town and village municipal building, as well as community center. By Holly Crocco There’s no denying the former Garden Street Elementary School in Brewster holds a special place in the hearts of many village residents who either attended the school themselves, or whose children walked those halls. However, since its closure in 2012 due to building deteri