POUGHKEEPSIE – When Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro presents
his proposed 2017 budget on Thursday, it will cut the property tax levy
and reduce the property tax rate paid by taxpayers.
Molinaro announced that bit of information on Tuesday, noting it will
be the third consecutive year of reduction in the county’s property
tax levy, keeping the county under the state’s property tax cap
as it has for the last four years.
His spending plan, which will be subject to county legislature approval
or modification, will focus on “minimizing the tax burden, ensuring
fiscal stability and growing our economy.”
Molinaro said he will continue focused on shared services and consolidation,
efficiency measures and “aggressive efforts” to control spending
and capitalize on grants and other funding resources.
While this all sounds encouraging, Molinaro is still pushing for mandate
relief from the state whether it is removing the mandate cost or providing
the funding to cover the costs of delivering the program or service.
Among the mandate relief he will be pushing when he introduces his budget,
Molinaro will seek repeal of the MTA payroll tax. Dutchess government
must pay $400,000 in 2017, bringing to $2.2 million, the cost to the county
since it was enacted by the state legislature in 2009.
Molinaro will also call for an increase in revenue sharing for state DMV
services provided by the county. The state requires counties to operator
motor vehicle offices. The state keeps 87.3 percent of the income while
the counties receive 12.7 percent. A bill in the senate would increase
the local share to 25 percent.
