On Friday, August 12, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan sent an open letter to local residents announcing an Inflation Relief Plan, including among its initiatives a proposed property tax reduction of 3 percent.
“Right now we’re all feeling the pressure due to the rising costs of everything — from food, to fuel, to housing,” Ryan said in a press release. “Ulster County is stepping up and taking aggressive action to provide urgent relief to our residents — the largest property tax cut in 40 years, free public transit for all, and direct relief to tens of thousands of households and small businesses. From the beginning, I promised to make County government more responsive and responsible, so I’m proposing an ambitious and broad-reaching Inflation Relief Plan to help address these challenges.”
Some elements of Ryan’s plan, including the tax reduction, wouldn’t go into immediate effect and would instead show up in the 2023 executive budget proposal. Others, like the elimination of UCAT bus fares approved by the County Legislature last week by a 16-7 vote along party lines, can go into immediate effect, covered by using some of the county’s $84.9 million unappropriated general fund balance as well as funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Other initiatives in the Inflation Relief Plan include $1 million in grant funding for small businesses through the CARES II small business relief program, $2 million to reinforce “main street” corridors and business districts, and up to $2 million for small farmers. Elsewhere, Ryan’s plan includes $3.5 million in direct food assistance for up to 27,000 households in the county, an additional $4 million in funding to offset childcare costs by expanding eligibility rules, and assisting up to 2500 newly eligible families and adding an additional 1000 families to the county’s home heating program.
Ryan added that the county could spend $5 million in 2023 to acquire land and build the infrastructure through sewer and water, green stormwater systems, roads, sidewalks and transit, to meet the potential demand of affordable housing.
“Within Team Ulster County we all know that a budget is more than just a set bunch of numbers on a page,” said Ryan in his open letter. “It is a moral document that translates our collective priorities into tangible investments in our community. In this moment it is essential that we listen to you and your fellow residents, and that we provide direct relief to help you weather these tough times.”
Critics of Ryan’s Inflation Relief Plan have said it was formed without consulting the county’s minority Republican Party, and questioned the timing of the announcement, just two days before early voting began in the special election for the 19th Congressional District, which sees Ryan pitted against Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro.
But others welcomed the Inflation Relief Plan as good news.
“It has indeed been a tough couple of years for small businesses in Ulster County, and I am grateful that our County leadership understands that many of our entrepreneurs and small business owners still need help getting back on their feet,” Ward Todd, President of the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce said in a press release from Ryan’s office. “Following a year of forced closures and the lingering impacts of the pandemic, many Chamber members continue to report rising costs of doing business and a shortage of available, qualified workers. By reducing property taxes, providing additional direct support to business owners, and focusing the County’s efforts on childcare, transportation and housing, the County Executive’s proposed Inflation Relief Plan will help stabilize and rebuild our local economy to be more sustainable and equitable for the future.”
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