Goshen, N.Y. – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus released the following statement on Friday, Dec. 3 in response to the County Legislature adopting the 2022 Executive Recommended Budget with a vote of 20-0.

Neuhaus introduced his $830 million budget on Sept. 28.

“I applaud the County Legislature for approving my proposed budget with a vote of 20-0,” Neuhaus said. “As a government, we continue to manage conservatively and I credit our success to our dedicated and skilled County workforce, our management, and the cooperative relationship that exists with the Legislature. We need to continue to take a stabilizing approach to spending and keep a close review of our revenues moving forward.”

Added Chairwoman of the Legislature Katie Bonelli: “I have enjoyed working collaboratively with County Executive Neuhaus and his administration on this budget. The 2022 budget is fiscally responsible and benefits our residents. We will continue to find innovative ways to strengthen Orange County’s finances.”

Highlights of the 2022 budget include:

• The County Tax Rate will be $3.436, which is lower than it was both last year and in 2014, when Neuhaus took office.
• The County will utilize $9.9 Million of the unassigned fund balance in 2022, compared to $13.8 Million in 2021. The County’s fund balance has more than doubled since Neuhaus took office, back to State recommended levels, and was $50.6 million in 2020.
• The County’s property Tax Rate has gone down about 9.5 percent since 2014 and property values have increased 32.6 percent during that same time.
• Moody’s Investors Service, the financial services ratings company, noted that “County management’s ability to manage through the pandemic relatively healthy is a testament to their budget monitoring and controls.” Moody’s added that “liquidity for the County is strong and will remain stable if not grow due to conservative budgeting.”
• The County will budget $4.2 Million in 2022 for hotel occupancy tax, an increase of $1.1 Million from 2014. The County Executive has aggressively pursued initiatives focused on tourism and economic development.

For more information, contact Justin Rodriguez, Assistant to the County Executive for Communications and Media Relations at 845.291.3255 or jrodriguez@orangecountygov.com.

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