Rethinking Government

County Executive Robert Bondi believes the time has come to redesign and reorganize Putnam County government.

Calling the current form of government an “endangered species,” Bondi scheduled a series of town and village forums starting next week that will ask the public for its input: “My goal is to ask John Q. Public to propose a new system of governance assuming the county never existed. The only way to achieve real change in government is with the support of its residents.”

During his State of the County address last month, Bondi said people were angry with the high cost of property taxes that have “proven to be unbearable in the great recession causing one in every five deeds recorded in foreclosure. Does Putnam County need or want 120 separate taxing districts in their future?”

On Monday, Bondi charged that the status quo was “no longer sustainable. Putnam County—New York’s second smallest county in geography supports nine school districts, six towns and three villages. Why?”

Bondi hopes that the public comes forward and demands reorganization of municipal and other services to “provide greater efficiency and cost reductions. The luxury of maintaining duplication of important services by each and every municipality is financially untenable. Do we need a tax assessor in every town? What about a consolidated approach to highway departments? Is county government necessary for 100,000 residents?”

Starting on Monday at 7pm at Patterson Town Hall and continuing on Tuesday at 7pm at Brewster Village Hall and Wednesday, April 14 at Philipstown Town Hall at 7:30pm, Bondi wants the public to speak out on “tough issues” such as: “Do the people of Putnam County need multiple police departments, fire departments, and ambulance corps? Do the people of Putnam County need a county executive and legislative branch of government? Why does Putnam County have six towns and three villages conducting business? Are new county facilities such as a senior center in Kent wanted?”

Although Putnam is ranked second lowest in New York State in terms of county government taxes as a percentage of the total property tax bill, the county is ranked fourth highest across New York in terms of the total property tax bill homeowners pay. A recent survey indicated that Putnam property owners pay the tenth highest amount of property taxes across America or $4,000 for every man, woman, and child in the county.

Bondi says “now is the time when local citizens become actively involved to make wholesale changes in their local government.”

In addition to the three meetings planned for next week, Bondi has scheduled sessions for Cold Spring on April 21, Putnam Valley on April 26, Kent on April 27, Southeast on April 28, and in Carmel on April 29. Each of the meetings will be held at the town or village hall at 7pm.