OCNY Democratic Caucus

10/16/2026

The legislature received the County Executive’s proposed 2027 budget October 1, and since then, I’ve been going through it line by line. The budget which totals over a billion dollars, is one of our biggest responsibilities as legislators. A budget is our values statement, and reflects our priorities. As such, our caucus has been discussing the proposal, and members who chair committees have been meeting with department heads to review requests. Today, the legislature leadership also met with the county’s auditors.

You may have seen that the county property tax rate went down, but that doesn’t automatically mean the county portion of your property tax bill will. The rate is calculated using a state formula based on the tax levy and total taxable property value. With assessed values rising in the county, what a property owner pays depends on your property’s assessed value and your share of the levy. Assessments are done at the municipal level.

The proposed budget uses nearly $37 million from fund balance just to close the gap and balance the budget. While Orange County is in a relatively stable financial position, repeatedly relying on these funds isn’t sustainable as revenues face uncertainty and expenses rise. Departments also saw cuts to their requests, including travel reductions and denied positions. The Sheriff’s Office saw the largest cuts in the county, extending well beyond the reduction tied to the end of the ICE contract. I’m also closely monitoring the expected impact of the disastrous federal H.R. 1 legislation on social services, in particular, SNAP funding changes and costs shifted to counties. These federal decisions are outside the county’s control, but we need to understand the potential financial implications.

The executive branch projects nearly $433 million in sales tax revenue, with approximately $115 million going to municipalities. However, inflation continues to strain household budgets, and economic uncertainty and changes in consumer spending could affect future sales tax collections. This is something we have to monitor as a legislature beyond budget season.

Budget hearings begin Monday, October 19. You can attend or watch via livestream. The public hearing on the County Executive’s proposed budget is Wednesday, October 21, at 5 PM. I encourage residents to follow the process, attend the public hearing, and make their voices heard.

🔗 Proposed budget: https://www.orangecountyny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/38661/2027-Executive-Recommended-Budget-PDF

🔗 Hearing schedule and livestreams: https://www.orangecountyny.gov/903/Legislature

OCNY Democratic Caucus

10/15/2026

We will always work toward solutions that support Orange County families, strengthen our workforce, and ensure our county is a place where people are treated fairly.

We’re proud to support Orange County workers and applaud Stephen Hunter - Orange County Legislator for his initiative and leadership in expanding county health benefits to eligible domestic partners. This common-sense update to our benefits in Orange County government helps ensure our benefits reflect the realities of today’s families and makes Orange County a more competitive employer.

This is what progress looks like: identifying gaps, working across departments, and turning solutions into action.

Orange County Government
Orange County Legislator Genesis Ramos
Laurie Tautel, Orange County Legislator, District 14
Hudson Valley Press

GOSHEN – The Orange County Democratic Caucus announced that Orange County has officially expanded its employee health insurance offerings to include eligible domestic partners through the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP), effective January 1, 2027. The effort was led by Orange Coun...

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

10/03/2026

Passed! Our caucus is proud to stand behind measures that extend opportunities for housing and affordability in Orange County.

GOSHEN - Orange County became the second county in the state, after Ulster County, to adopt a local law providing a 50% property tax exemption on the county’s

10/02/2026

Let’s go!

09/30/2026

Our caucus stands fully behind Leader Ramos’s proposal. Stay tuned for the vote tomorrow.

UPDATE: The measure passed by a vote of 11 yes, 9 no, and 1 abstention.

Tomorrow, the Orange County Legislature will vote on whether to opt into New York’s new 457-a property tax exemption for affordable homeownership.

I want to thank Jessica Miuccio of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh and Jennifer Welles of the Newburgh Community Land Bank for participating in our Housing Task Force conversation, bringing their expertise to the discussion, and advocating for Orange County to opt into this law. This is exactly why we need a Housing Task Force: to examine the tools available to us, bring the right people to the table, and turn policy opportunities into practical action.

So what exactly is 457-a? It is a new local opt-in law that allows counties, municipalities, and school districts to provide a partial property tax exemption on certain homes transferred to low-income households. For qualifying properties, the exemption can be 25% to 75% of assessed value. I am proposing that Orange County opt in at 50%.

There are important guardrails:

- The home must be transferred to a qualifying low-income household that will use it as their primary residence.
- The household’s income must generally be at or below 80% of Area Median Income (AMI).
-The property must be subject to an affordability restriction or agreement, such as a restrictive covenant, regulatory agreement, or other legal obligation, with a government entity, nonprofit housing organization, or land bank, such as Habitat for Humanity or the Newburgh Land Bank.
- An eligible nonprofit, land bank, community land trust, or appropriate governmental entity can certify that the household meets the income and residency requirements.

Building more housing is critical, but it is only one part of the solution. We also need to preserve existing affordable housing, support first-time homebuyers, strengthen our land bank and housing organizations, leverage state and federal resources, and find ways to reduce the ongoing cost of homeownership. If we can subsidize corporations and make the case for commercial PILOTs, we can certainly make the case for supporting affordable homeownership. 457-a is one more tool we can put in that toolbox.

I also want to be direct about the lead-up to tomorrow’s vote. After robust discussion and work on this measure, the Legislature received an 11th-hour memo from the Executive Branch this afternoon, specifically the County Attorney, urging members not to opt in. That kind of last-minute intervention, coming just before a vote on a housing tool we have been actively examining, is disappointing and raises legitimate questions about why this issue is being approached this way at the eleventh hour.

I remain focused on the work. Our responsibility is to consider the tools available to Orange County families, weigh the facts, and make a decision based on what can actually help address our housing affordability crisis. Tomorrow’s vote is one step in a much larger housing strategy. I am going to keep pushing for every responsible tool we can use to make housing more affordable and homeownership more attainable in Orange County.

OCNY Democratic Caucus