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Day, Who Is Running For Re-Election This November, Touts Financial Stewardship But Budget Speech Is Light on Details
Rockland County Executive Ed Day is proposing no property tax increase for 2026’s $913.8 million budget. Last year’s budget was $876 million.
For the past two years, the County’s office fashioned a 2 percent tax cut, coming on the heels of zero tax increases in 2022 and 2023.
“My administration is committed to being smart with your money and bringing relief to families who, in this challenging economic climate, need it now more than ever,” said Day, while introducing the 2026 county budget Tuesday during a pre-recorded video press conference on the county’s Facebook page. “As we began this year’s budget process it was my intent to once again cut your taxes, we have cut them by 4 percent over the past two years.
“Unfortunately, we are facing increasing costs and great uncertainty about future State and Federal funding and reimbursements,” he continued.
Day is running for re-election for County Executive in November. This year’s budget presentation was light on details compared to prior years.
The county executive said, “we will not overreact to these unknowns.”
Day credited the county’s fiscal success to the implementation of conservative budgeting and prudent financial management since he took the helm in 2014.
Day reminded his audience that a decade ago, the faced a $138 million deficit – “one that threatened the very foundation of our county.” He credits disciplined budgeting, tough decisions, smart financial planning, and working with the legislative branch of government, for overcoming the crisis. “We turned it into a success story,” he said.
Rockland is the only New York with a Moody’s Triple-A bond rating, their highest possible rating.
In recent years, the county struggled but regained its footing through the pandemic. Rockland was particularly hard hit with unemployment rates. Subsequently, county residents are feeling the rising pressures of inflation and instability, as the nation continues to pace the impact of tariffs, job loss, and rising gas prices. Additionally, the County is dealing with a severe housing crisis, and now most severely, threats to Medicare and healthcare subsidies due to the Trump administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
“Early Intervention and Pre-K busing in the Health Department, SNAP administration in Social Services, Healthcare benefits and Pension contributions – all these costs are increasing,” Day said.
“We know costs are increasing for residents and we are focused on giving money back to the people, while continuing to act with caution and responsibility,” Day said.
He pointed to efforts to help families, mentioning the elimination of the Residential Energy Tax, saving families $12 million annually—or the equivalent of an 8.4 percent county property tax cut. Also, the elimination of the Auto Registration Tax.
“We paid off our deficit bond,” said Day, adding that the county is focused on future investment.
The county is proposing the addition of $1 million to the HERROS Program. This program provides up to $6,000 in college tuition reimbursement to emergency volunteers for their service. Since inception, volunteers have been reimbursed nearly $400,000.
Day also mentioned that the Rockland County Firefighter Memorial is nearly complete.
“Our guiding principle for crafting our budget is to deliver the most efficient services at the lowest cost to taxpayers,” Day said. “But to do so, we need to recruit and retain the best candidates. For this reason, our Department of Personnel is continuing to invest in marketing for recruitment.”
The county continues to invest in training programs like Emerging Leaders, which helps employees develop leadership skills for promotions within.
Turning its eye to sustainability, the county is spending $200,000 for its Facilities Management Division to conduct a feasibility study to access locations to build solar panels and EV charging stations on county property.
The Purchasing Division has saved nearly $2 million over the last two years through hardball negotiations with contractors, according to Day.
“While many governments raise taxes to cover expenses, we take a different approach,” said Day. “We continually find ways to offset costs— we’ve received millions from new grant funding and thousands in revenue from filming on County properties.”
Now that we’ve reached a healthy level of programs and services, we remain committed to being fiscally responsible and will not waste taxpayer dollars on unnecessary initiatives,” said Day. “I urge my partners in government, our Legislature, to continue to stand with me in safeguarding the money of our hardworking residents and refrain from engaging in careless spending.”
