New City, NY – September 30, 2025 – Rockland County Executive Ed Day has released his proposed $913.8 million budget for 2026, announcing that it includes no increase to county property taxes.
Day presented the plan at the Robert Yeager Health Complex in Pomona on Tuesday. He noted that while the County has been able to cut property taxes by 4% over the past two years, rising costs and uncertainty around future state and federal reimbursements made it impossible to continue reducing taxes this year.
“This is our way of still giving money back to the people, while continuing to act with caution and responsibility,” Day said.
Key Highlights of the Proposed Budget
- Support for Volunteers: The Rockland County Firefighter Memorial is nearly complete. In addition, the County is adding another $1 million to the HERROS program, which reimburses emergency volunteers for college tuition. Since its inception, HERROS has distributed nearly $400,000 in reimbursements.
- Workforce Development: Investment continues in recruitment and training, including the Emerging Leaders program, designed to prepare county employees for leadership positions.
- Taxpayer Savings: The County’s Purchasing Division has saved $2 million over the past two years by negotiating contracts effectively.
Day emphasized the fiscal discipline his administration has followed since he inherited a $138 million deficit when first elected in 2014. He reminded residents that “every single tax dollar belongs to our hardworking residents” and urged the Legislature to avoid “careless spending happening in other localities, agencies, and the state and federal government.”
Budget Review Timeline
- October 1: Deadline for submission of the proposed budget to the County Legislature.
- November 20: Public hearing on the proposed budget must be held.
- December 7: Legislature must adopt the budget or it is deemed approved as submitted. If amended, the County Executive has five days to approve or veto changes.
- December 20: Legislature may override any veto with a two-thirds vote.
The full announcement can be viewed online through the County Executive’s office.