Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Greene County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
34 issues with medium priority
Agricultural District 124 Inclusion Requests
Property owners who want to join the county's Agricultural District can apply November 1 through November 30 — contact the county economic development office for help.
Election Results
The 2026 midterm results are in for Greene County, but the source only flags that winners are set and there are county-level implications—not the details. If you care about local services, budgets, or representation, the real impact will depend on what the newly elected officials do next.
2027 STOP-DWI Plan
The county's annual plan for drunk-driving prevention and enforcement was up for committee review before going to the state. It underwrites local DUI patrols, education, and safety programs for the coming year.
Rapid Hepatitis C testing capability
Public Health proposed buying a machine that can detect active Hepatitis C from a fingerstick in about an hour, letting patients get tested and linked to treatment in one visit. The $26,407 cost is covered entirely by a state grant.
Public Health and Mental Health service agreements
The county's addiction treatment contractor is merging with the Addictions Care Center of Albany. Services continue unchanged under the Twin County name, and the committee advanced the contract transfer unanimously.
Sheriff's Authority to Execute Mandated Contracts
The Legislature approved a contract for speech services for preschoolers with disabilities, required by state education law — with Bulich dissenting.
Calls for property tax levy reduction
Resident Joe Izzo argued the county's $102 million fund balance, $150 million in cumulative surpluses and growing sales tax mean the county should cut the levy, not just hold it flat — especially for seniors and fixed-income residents.
Senior and Veteran Services Funding
Three human services contracts were refreshed: homemaker/companion care for seniors gets a rate clarification, the senior shopping shuttle keeps running with added medical transport for veterans, and youth sports programs get nearly $24,000 in state money.
2026 Equalization Rates for County Towns
The committee advanced resolution 356-26 setting the state-mandated equalization rates for all 14 towns — these rates let the state compare property values across towns and factor into school aid and tax calculations.
I Love NY tourism marketing funds
The county wants state tourism dollars to keep marketing Greene County as a destination — it will pledge up to $172,500 in matching funds for the 2027 round.
Capital OTB Revenue Legislation Support
The county wants the state to hand unclaimed OTB winnings and pari-mutuel taxes back to local counties instead of letting them sit with the Comptroller — worth an estimated $20,000-$40,000 a year to Greene County.
Coordinated Transportation Plan public hearing
The county updated its transit plan using over a hundred public survey responses, and you can weigh in at a hearing November 18 before it goes to the state.
Veterans Memorial Expansion at Catskill Point
The county is expanding the veterans memorial at the Catskill Point with new pavers and hardscape, honoring local veterans past and present. It's funded almost entirely by endowment and donor paver money, so it costs taxpayers almost nothing beyond a small miscellaneous line transfer.
Greene County Transit Operating Agreement
County bus service keeps running: ARC Mid-Hudson won the only bid to operate the transit system and lease its vehicles, on a two-year deal starting January 1, 2027 with three possible one-year extensions.
Court-ordered competency evaluation services
The county Mental Health Department needed a licensed psychologist for court-ordered competency-to-stand-trial evaluations. The committee advanced a contract with Blue Line Psychological at $250 an hour, capped at four hours a month through 2026.
Public Health advisory committee appointment
Erin Hedges, the county's Supervising Public Health Nurse, was nominated to the Public Health Department's Medical Professional Advisory Committee.
Preschool Special Education Contracting
The Legislature approved a contract for speech services for preschoolers with disabilities, required by state education law — with Bulich dissenting.
Chargebacks Assessed to Towns
Towns are being billed their shares of printing and mailing 2026 tax bills ($25,639) and exemption notices ($10,624). Chairman Linger voted no on both, the lone dissent both times.
Driscoll Foods bringing roughly 100 jobs to Greene Business Park
Driscoll Foods is moving into its new Greene Business Park building, transferring some employees from Amsterdam and planning a hiring fair, with about 100 new jobs expected. CDL workers are being sought right now, and new signage is being added because people couldn't find the building.
Greene County Cultural Fund regranting increase
A $3,000 county contribution helps the October comedy festival with marketing and staging — last year's event drew about 1,200 visitors to Catskill businesses.
Coxsackie 81/9W parcel rezoned for senior and workforce housing
The rezoning at Routes 81 and 9W in Coxsackie is done; the IDA board gets a housing policy and draft RFI on September 17 to find a developer for senior and workforce housing. The IDA also has to fund a third-phase archaeology dig before anything moves forward.
Solid waste contract extensions
The maintenance building is nearly done, the Windham Transfer Station rebuild should break ground soon, and the department gets a new $139,900 excavator to keep operations running.
911 Center Security and Communications Resiliency
The county is hardening its 911 center — new door access controls, plus a consultant study on making emergency communications networks more resilient.
Greene County Libraries Association budget request
The county's nine libraries asked for $7,843 more to keep up with booming demand — e-book checkouts up 20 percent, programs up 30 percent. E-books cost libraries three to five times more than print, so digital growth drives the budget.
Haines Falls pedestrian trail connection
New sidewalks along Route 23A and North Lake Road would connect Haines Falls to the Hunter Regional Trails and boost the revitalizing hamlet. The county is stepping in as lead agency for the environmental review, with funding from a 2025 federal TAP grant.
Cementon Smith's Landing GEIS studies
Environmental studies are moving forward on the Cementon/Smith's Landing planning area, with wetlands work wrapping up and a full environmental impact statement due June 27. Landowner participation has grown past 3,000 acres, including a newly carved-out 95-acre riverside parcel.
County chargeback obligations for out-of-county students
When Greene County residents attend other community colleges, the county pays chargebacks of roughly $650,000 to $700,000 a year — a cost not shown in the college's budget. Committee members and the County Administrator noted the college must keep offering programs residents want, or the county pays other counties instead.
Three-year contract agreement with UPSEU for county nurses
The county ratified its 2026-2028 agreement with the nurses union (UPSEU), which passed 12-2 with Bulich and Hobart opposed.
Surviving spouse tax exemption for fallen police officers
Greene County enacted Local Law 1 of 2026, cutting county property taxes by up to 50% for surviving spouses of officers killed in the line of duty who live in the county and haven't remarried.
Property Tax Exemption for Surviving Spouses of Fallen Police Officers
Local Law 1 of 2026 exempts up to 50% of the assessed value of a fallen officer's surviving spouse's primary residence from county property taxes. It's a cost of sympathy for fallen officers' families, but since the state provides no reimbursement, the lost county revenue is absorbed by other taxpayers. Lawmakers also flagged plans to extend similar benefits to corrections officers once pending state bills are signed.
Regional Brownfield Assessment Coalition
Greene County is partnering with Columbia County and the Hunter Foundation to identify potentially contaminated sites across both counties. An informational open house was held July 16 on Zoom, and the county opened its web page for additional property nominations.
Matthew 25 Food Pantry lease renewal
The county is re-leasing 8 Union Street in Catskill to the Matthew 25 Food Pantry for five more years at nominal rent, keeping food assistance running in the community.
Cairo Senior Center Water and Sewer Extension
The county awarded a $544,900 bid to extend Cairo's water and sewer system to the new senior center, a major step in the long-planned Capital Project #161. Work waits on HUD environmental clearance.
First Responders Benefit Concert, June 19
Cairo's Ted Banta presented a June 19 benefit at the Barn at Bowery Creek Farm in Acra featuring local singer Logan Mudge, with proceeds going to first responders through his new Teddy Bear Heroes foundation. He's hoping for 300 attendees and a $4,000–$5,000 raise — and challenged Legislators to a line dance lesson.