Moratorium supporters vocal at public hearing
The temporary ban on most new development would be on state Route 299, east of the village.
Dutchess County is experiencing “modest” economic growth, County Executive Marc Molinaro said during the presentation of his proposed 2017 county budget to the county Legislature.
The $467 million spending plan, unveiled Thursday, would increase spending by less than 1 percent while addressing a number of programs, including several new ones, Molinaro said. Property taxes would drop slightly.
“This budget maintains the county’s strong fiscal position, all the same time increasing our target investment in tourism, arts, agriculture and economic growth,” he said. “We seek to be a safer community, one where we continue to reform our criminal justice system, enhance our re-entry programming to reduce recidivism and assist individuals to live independent lives. We seek to improve our law-enforcement system through improved training and coordination among law-enforcement agencies.”
The budget includes additional funding for tourism promotion, economic development, expanded public transit from six to seven days per week, farmland protection funds, rebranding the Dutchess County Airport as Hudson Valley Regional Airport and creating an Aviation Maintenance Education Center at Dutchess Community College at a cost of $8 million to be shared by the county, college and New York State Dormitory Authority.
Molinaro said he also would like to see more sharing among law-enforcement agencies, and to hire two more assistant district attorneys and allocate $2.1 million toward fighting domestic violence and sexual assault.
He said he also would like to expand his “Think Different Dutchess County” to focus on people with special needs, including a “Project Safe Return” funded by $50,000 for GPS tracking of persons with special needs or the elderly, who may get lost.
The budget is subject to review and approval by the county Legislature.