Dutchess County’s $629 million budget for 2025 passes

POUGHKEEPSIE — The Dutchess County’s Legislature adopted their 2025 budget on Monday, Dec. 9, with a 23-2 bipartisan vote.

The budget includes a $629.4 million spending plan. The adopted budget included several amendments to County Executive Sue Serino’s budget, which she proposed earlier in October.

Businesses and homeowners will see a 2.7% decrease in the county’s property tax rates. Last year, the property tax rate was $2.23 and with the approved budget, this will be lowered to $2.17 in 2025, marking the tenth consecutive year of property tax rate cuts.

The 2025 budget also aims to improve services that residents rely on for their day-to-day lives. Many new initiatives focus on public safety, youth services and support for seniors, veterans and families. In addition, the initiatives open up support for the Dutchess County Drug Task Force, Housing Trust fund applications, historic investments in Emergency Medical Services and more.

County legislators made several amendments to the 2025 county budget, which were unanimously approved, creating additional funding for existing and new projects including, but not limited to, $750,000 for the Dutchess County Sheriff’s office for overtime purposes at the county’s justice and transition center, $500,000 for the Department of Planning & Development to fund the Municipal Innovation Grant program with a specific focus on the elderly, $50,000 for the Office of Veterans’ Affairs for expanded transportation services, and $50,000 to the Department of Community and Family Services Youth Division to fund after-school programming to serve at-risk youth.

Chris Drago (D-19), was one of two lawmakers who voted no on the 2025 Dutchess County Budget.

“While the budget included a few things that we have been advocating for this year, it did not go far enough in addressing our cost of living, housing, climate, mental health, or EMS crisis here in Dutchess County,” Drago said. “There will be other opportunities to adjust the budget as needs arise in 2025, and I plan to continue to advocate for more resources in the Planning Department to address our cost of living and housing crisis.”

The newest version of the budget will be reviewed and signed by Serino. It will then go to the Dutchess County Legislature’s Board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 18, for override consideration of amendment vetoes made by the County Executive, if any.

For more information on the 2025 Dutchess County Budget, visit dutchessny.gov/budget2025.

Latest News

Fallen trees injure man, destroy fences at dog shelter

Two uprooted locust trees still lie in the yard in front of Animal Farm Foundation’s original kennels where they fell on a fence during a storm on Thursday, June 19.

Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Fallen trees, uprooted and splintered during a thunderstorm, injured a man, destroyed fences and damaged a dog kennel at the Animal Farm Foundation facilities in Bangall.

Isaias Nunez was cleaning along a road on the property with Marco Ortiz, another employee of the dog shelter, when the storm rolled in on the afternoon of Thursday, June 19.

Keep ReadingShow less
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit millertonnews.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less