The Orange County legislature failed to pass a measure on Tuesday that would have implemented a county gas sales tax cap. Nine legislators voted in favor of it, while eight legislators against the motion.
Four legislators Michael Ammo, Mike Essig, Genesis Ramos, and John Revella were not present at the special legislative session. The measure needed 11 yes votes to pass.
The gas sales tax cap would have capped the county’s 3.75 percent sales tax on motor fuel and diesel motor fuel gasoline to $3 per gallon.
Fuel prices across the country have spiked since the war in Iran escalated. Ulster, Dutchess, Putnam, and Rockland counties have all voted to cap their county’s sales tax on gas and diesel at $3 in recent months.
Orange County Legislator Stephen Hunter, who introduced the resolution, said that the measure was a fiscally responsible measure that would directly affect not only residents but also the overhead of local businesses, contractors, and delivery drivers.
“High gas prices are the inflation engine of our economy. They don’t just hit you at the pump. They hit you at the grocery store, the pharmacy, the local coffee spot, basically everywhere you shop. When gas prices surge, the cost of every carton of eggs, every gallon of milk, every local delivery, surges with them,” said Hunter during the April 28 legislative special session.
New York State Senator James Skoufis, who represents the 42nd district, blasted the Orange County legislature for rejecting the tax cap in a statement.
“New York is averaging $4.11/gallon, well over the national average. Ulster, Dutchess, Putnam, and Rockland have all voted to cap their county’s sales tax on gas in recent months. All to say how senseless it is that so many Orange County legislators just rejected desperately-needed relief at the pump,” said Skoufis.
Skoufis, whose district spans nearly all of Orange County, added, “My constituents are struggling to keep bills paid, food on the table, and gas in the tank — it’s preposterous to have a pathway to ease some of that pain and not take it. This is one of the worst votes I’ve ever seen local elected officials take and I urge those county legislators who were a ‘no’ to reconsider their positions”
Orange County legislators had previously approved the measure during the Rules, Enactments, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee meeting on April 22.
But critics of the measure said that local leaders did not approve of the proposal, saying that the gas tax cap could be a loss of revenue for smaller towns and villages.
“If you’re cutting revenue to municipalities… that adds up,” said Orange County Republican Caucus Leader and Legislator Paul Ruszkiewicz. “That means fewer services, maybe cut programs, and I think our constituents could potentially take a harder hit on that end.”
Image: A person gets gas at a station March 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)