KINGSTON — Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger delivered a 33-minute budget address Thursday, proposing a $519.7 million operating spending plan for 2027 that balances strict internal cost controls against mounting inflation and federal funding cuts.
The plan reflects a 4.7% spending increase over 2026 and includes a modest 1.5% property tax levy increase. Metzger framed the proposal as a “moral document” designed to cushion residents from outside fiscal shocks.
Metzger primarily noted that Ulster County is the largest employer in the county and is facing rising costs in a variety of areas including:
Energy & Heating: Heating oil rose 83% and diesel fuel spiked 63%; Highway Materials & Supplies: Sand, gravel, and crushed stone increased 13%, wire and cable repairs rose 46%, and printing paper went up 14%; Mandated Operational Costs: State retirement contributions increased by $1.47 million, health care costs grew by $3.2 million, and mandated safety net costs rose by $1.4 million and Overtime Spending: Following a nearly 30% surge in overtime hours from 2022 to 2025, the budget targets a 4% cut to overtime for an anticipated $250,000 in savings.
“We cannot control every price increase, every federal cut, or every mandate, but we can control how we respond. We can meet rising costs with discipline,” Metzger said. “We can meet hardship with help, and we can meet uncertainty by showing up for one another. That is how we look out for our neighbors.”
Federal Cuts Impact Local Taxpayers
Before Metzger spoke, Legislative Chair Peter Criswell (D-WF, District 7) warned that federal shifts under H.R. 1 are pushing core safety-net expenses directly onto local taxpayers.
With federal matching funds for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administrative costs cut in half as of Oct. 1, state and county governments must make up the difference.
“Under our state’s law, counties must cover the difference,” Criswell said. “So next fall, New York faces a new penalty that could reach over $1 billion a year in SNAP benefit costs… and no one in Albany has yet told us how much of that will land on counties.”
Criswell added that new Medicaid work requirements and stricter eligibility checks will further strain the Department of Social Services. “We don’t get to opt out of feeding our neighbors or keeping them insured,” he said.
Metzger echoed those concerns, noting that 1,500 fewer county residents receive SNAP benefits due to federal policy changes, driving increased demand at local food pantries.
Key Priorities
To address a 47% rise in homelessness since 2020 that has left 643 individuals unhoused, the proposal creates a full-time Emergency Housing Coordinator to inspect motel placements, allocates $2 million from the Housing Action Fund for small family shelters, and creates a dedicated funding stream for workforce housing.
Following recent domestic violence fatalities, the county will prioritize Housing Action Fund grants for survivor housing, create a Domestic Violence Task Force, and implement the Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) to train officers to connect high-risk victims to immediate protection.
On economic development and childcare, the budget funds the new 24-week Ulster Youth Works Academy in Kingston with backing from Novo Foundation in 2027, establishes a revolving loan program for home-based childcare startups, adds $475,000 for SUNY Ulster operations, and supports a new standalone campus childcare center.
To expand regional access outside Kingston, the county will open a full-service DMV branch at the Trudy Farber Center in Ellenville and retire its old mobile DMV bus in favor of placing services directly inside municipal halls by mid-2027.
Fiscal Controls
To absorb $3.2 million in rising healthcare costs, $1.47 million in state retirement increases, and higher capital expenses, the budget eliminates 13 positions while adding six essential roles, creating a net reduction of seven funded jobs. It also cuts overtime budgets by nearly 4% to save an estimated $250,000.
“This is our home. These are our neighbors,” Metzger said. “And together we’re going to keep building an Ulster County that all of us can afford to call home,” Metzger concluded.
