Sullivan County Legislature Postpones Budget Vote After Residents Push Back

Sullivan County legislators moved their budget vote on Tuesday evening from Dec. 11 to Dec. 18 after residents pushed back during two public hearings in Monticello.

The county has put forward a $305 million tentative budget for 2026, which includes a 9.1 percent property tax hike. But some residents like Janet Lybolt, a Mamakating resident, say that the sharp increase isn’t possible for many people in the county, especially older adults on a fixed income.

“For [legislators] to put forward a 9.16 percent increase is unobtainable for a lot of people living in this county: one of the poorest counties in the state,” said Lybolt.

Following resident pushback at both public hearings, county officials decided to push back the budget vote by a week.

“We need further discussion as to what we can actually do to bring down that budget and make our residents happier and able to survive and live in our county,” said Sullivan County District 2 Legislator and Legislature Chair Nadia Rajsz.

Sullivan County Manager Joshua Potosek has said the proposed increase is largely due to declining sales tax revenues. The county is anticipating a $5 million sales tax decrease, with building and construction costs making up the largest category drop.

READ: A Deep Dive into Sullivan County’s 2026 Budget

Presentation from Sullivan County budget public hearing explaining sales tax decline (Photo Credit: Sullivan County Government)

Residents criticized county legislators at Tuesday’s public hearing for being financially irresponsible in managing the budget.

“Let’s go after Infinite Care for the almost $9 million that they owe this county, and let’s stop dumping tons of money into an airport that is not used by most residents in this county,” said Lybolt.

Sullivan County resident Tim Dymond said legislators need to revisit the budget and find solutions to cut costs. He says it’s a “tough sell” for residents to understand declining revenues.

“Imagine how the residents of this county feel when they see house after house, building after building, going up and then they’re told revenues are down,” said Dymond.

Other residents raised questions about local moratorium enforcement, the newly renovated terminal at the Sullivan County airport, and the county’s involvement with Resorts World Catskills. Legislators said no taxpayer dollars were part of the LDC created to issue casino bonds, and that the international airport is necessary for Sullivan County’s economy.

The proposed budget, explained

During the COVID pandemic, the Catskills region saw an influx of new residents buying and building new homes in Sullivan County. Now, the county faces a new challenge: a steep sales tax decrease as building material and other manufacturing sales significantly decline.

The proposed property tax increase also accounts for labor contract negotiations, according to the budget’s executive summary .

“We’re estimating salaries will rise by about $3.5 million across our 1,000-person-strong workforce, while healthcare premiums will cost nearly $3 million more in 2026 (around 10 [percent] greater than before),” explained Potosek in the budget summary.

Sullivan County District 3 Legislator Brian McPhillips said that the legislature is doing everything it can to present a budget that sustains public services and keeps the county economically viable.

“Originally, there was about a 15 percent proposed increase,” said McPhillips. “It’s trying to balance, ‘how do you provide a budget to keep the county in the forward progression, without just cutting in order to stay in a percentage area,’ which would then inevitably hurt the county long term.”

Sullivan County legislators have until Dec. 20 to discuss and adopt a 2026 county budget. The budget would go into effect on January 1, 2026 once approved.

Image: Residents spoke at the Sullivan County budget public hearing on Dec. 9 in Monticello (Photo Credit: Kimberly Izar)