KINGSTON – With state budget negotiations underway between the Governor, State Senate and Assembly leaders, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger has written a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul urging her to support key budget proposals for Ulster residents.
Metzger addressed a wide range of issues, including housing, childcare, food security, climate, and emergency medical services. The county executive also identified specific bills and proposals in the Senate and Assembly one-house budgets that would benefit Ulster County residents and advance county priorities.
Metzger, the former State Senator, wrote extensively about housing issues, including emergency placements, homelessness and first-time homeowner assistance.
She also pleaded for funding for what described as a “childcare crisis” in Ulster County. According to Metzger, the county has seen a 45 percent decline in the availability of childcare, causing intense stress and financial hardship for families, and depriving children of an educational head start.
“For this reason, we strongly urge you to include in the enacted budget the Senate and Assembly proposal for $500 million in Childcare Provider Wage Enhancements.
“The additional funding will not only help prevent a further decline in childcare availability, but these funds will also contribute to a fairer and more livable wage for childcare staff, who are mostly women and are paid some of the lowest service-sector wages in the Hudson Valley region,” Metzger wrote.
New York lawmakers are expected to miss the state’s budget deadline as negotiations over housing and education funding remain ongoing. The due date for adopting a new state budget is April 1, but legislators are set to give themselves an extension early next week that will keep the government functioning while talks continue.
