Dutchess county executive shares concern over salary increases, but doesn't veto budget

Dutchess County Executive Bill O'Neil sent a sharp message to the legislature days before they were set to finalize the 2024 budget process, expressing concern about a proposed pay bump elected officials would receive while denouncing those who voted against the budget.

Earlier this month, the county legislature passed the $601 million spending plan. The budget included sales and hotel tax increases, $16 million in state-mandated costs, service reductions and a $417,587 increase to the salaries of elected county officials.

In a memo, O'Neil said he had suggested the legislature spread the 2024 salary increase over multiple years, to decrease the bump next year. The proposed salaries ranged from $185,500 for the county executive to the lower end of $27,500 for legislators.

The legislature instead voted through a budget that included a full increase to the salaries, one as high as 81%, according to a county document.

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"The County Executive .... has an option to return the budget unsigned, signaling disagreement, but allowing it to pass. I would have chosen this option for the pay raises if they were passed in a separate resolution," O'Neil said in the memo.

O'Neil chose not to veto the salary amendment or the budget. He did, however, veto amendments put forth by Republican and Democrat legislators who voted against the budget, according to his memo.

"These amendments are vetoed because each of these legislators voted against the full budget, they did not offer any amendments to rectify the areas they objected to," O'Neil stated in his memo.

Before voting during the Dec. 7 board meeting, Republican and Democratic legislators spoke about their misgivings on voting to approve a budget that included salary increases at a time when residents are struggling financially.

"The reason I voted no was because of those pay raises in there. I thought that they were excessive," said Legislator Alan Surman (R-Dover and Union Vale). Surman said he and other Republican legislators had considered putting an amendment forward to reduce the pay increases — Of the nine legislators who voted against the budget, three were Republicans.

"The majority of the (Republican) caucus at that point in time said that amendment has no chance," Surman said. No amendment was put forth by Republican legislators. Democratic legislators did not offer an amendment to the salary increases either.

The Republican-majority legislature has used its weight to push through amendments such as the $25 million to pay for improvements to Dutchess Stadium last year.

What was vetoed

O'Neil called those who put forth amendments and then decided to vote against the 2024 budget "disingenuous." His memo was sent out before the Monday board meeting in which the legislature had a chance to override the vetoes with a two-thirds vote.

"I consider this disingenuous and do not believe it should be allowed," he stated.

The county executive vetoed an amendment asking for $3,000 to purchase cell phones for police officers to conduct legality assessments, a request that came out of the county's Citizens Advisory Committee on domestic violence. The sponsor of that amendment was Legislator Donna Bolner (R-East Fishkill, LaGrange and Wappinger), who voted against the budget.

Also vetoed, for the same reason, was an amendment asking for $20,000 for the Human Rights Commission which Legislature Craig Brendli D-City and Town of Poughkeepsie said is needed because of a possible rise in hate crimes due to the 2024 elections and conflict in the Middle East. O'Neil vetoed Legislator Barrington Atkins' (D-City of Poughkeepsie) amendments for a mental health recovery coach for youth and increased funding for the Path to Promise initiative.

What happened at Monday's board meeting

During Monday's board meeting, the Republican-majority legislature voted to override the veto against Bolner's amendment for the cell phones. The Democratic-sponsored amendments remained vetoed though the legislature had supported them during the Dec. 7 vote.

"What I find much more concerning is how authoritarian the county executive's actions are. He has essentially stated that without offering full support for his budget, a legislator can have no hope of changing it, even in a positive direction, even with support of the full legislature from all parties," stated Legislator Brennan Kearney (D-Rhinebeck and Clinton), commenting on the memo during Monday's board meeting.

The county executive did not veto an amendment that was sponsored by Legislator Doug McHoul (R-Town and Village of Fishkill), who also voted against the budget because his amendment offered "technical corrections requested by the Budget Office," according to O'Neil's memo.

The amendments passed include:

• $500,000 delineated in contingency funding specifically for Board of Elections expenses

• $417,587 to adjust the salaries of County elected officials

• $350,000 for the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office for road patrol overtime

• $200,000 in reclaimed funds from Agency Partner Grant program for the Department of Planning and Development for a competitive grant program

• $100,000 for the Division of Veterans Services for a competitive grant program for nonprofit organizations or municipalities to make general capital infrastructure investments to facilities that serve veterans or for therapeutic animal programming for veterans

• $50,000 for the Department of Planning and Development for the creation of a “Stay Local” promotional campaign through Dutchess Tourism, Inc.

• $45,000 for the Department of Community and Family Services to provide grant funding for after-school programming for at-risk youth

• $2,000 for the Department of Behavioral and Community Health to expand existing compliance checks of under-age sales of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis

• $2,000 for the Division of Veterans Services for the development of a Veteran Challenge Coin program.

Saba Ali: Sali1@poughkeepsiejournal.com: 845-451-4518

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Dutchess County budget salary bump ensnares approval process