Putnam County Exec Convenes Elected Officials to Tackle Shared Services Initiative

CARMEL, NY – Getting started on a project to save money for taxpayers by creating efficiencies in local government, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell is convening a meeting May 18. It kicks off planning efforts designed to save money for taxpayers through increased efficiencies across government services. More than two dozen elected officials representing local municipalities and agencies are invited.

The idea comes from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who explained the plan in a speech he delivered in Haverstraw about the high property-tax burden in New York State.

"Property taxes are breaking the back of this state," Cuomo said in February, using nearby Rockland County as an example. The average Rockland taxpayer pays $1,200 in state taxes and $9,000 in property taxes, he said. There are 102 local government taxing entities in Rockland. There are 47 different offices.

"You can't tell me that you can't sit down at a table and find savings," Cuomo said at the time. He did not, however, mention school districts, though that's where most property tax revenue goes in the Hudson Valley.

The Putnam County-wide Shared Services Initiative forum will hold its first meeting at 3 p.m., at the TOPS Building on the Donald B. Smith Campus in Carmel as the first step in implementing the County-wide Shared Services Initiative, included in the state budget passed earlier this month.

The initiative calls upon the County Executive to come up with a plan to save property tax dollars by having municipalities and taxing districts share and centralize services. While Putnam has six towns and three villages, there are many more taxing districts, for water, sewer and other services. For example, the town of Carmel administers eight sewer districts.

“We do the very best job that we can every day to share services within our departments,” said Odell. “There is no doubt that this is a tall order, but my administration and my colleagues representing our six towns and 3 villages have a common objective. We are committed to working together to keep more money in our constituents’ pockets without sacrificing quality of life services.”

The County Executive has invited representatives from Putnam’s six towns and three villages, including Supervisors and Mayors, to join the forum. Highway and School Superintendents are also requested to join, along with union representatives.

Towns and villages are required to be part of the initiative. Schools are urged to take part but not required.

Odell noted that there are few details available from the state about the new state law. A copy of the law is available here.

“Further streamlining government by reducing or eliminating redundancy will save tax dollars and benefit both residents and businesses in Putnam County. We all gain from a successful outcome,” said Odell.

SEE ALSO: Rockland County Exec Convenes Shared Services Initiative Panel