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Southern Ulster Times, Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Hein delivers annual State of the County address
Ulster County Executive Mike Hein
delivered his tenth annual State of
the County Address at the conference
center of Ulster BOCES in New Paltz to a
standing room only audience of business
owners, community leaders, State and
local officials, and most importantly
everyday citizens. The County Executive’s
message of “Access to a Brighter Future
for Everyone” resonated throughout
his speech as he detailed some of the
many exciting initiatives scheduled to
take place in 2018 while highlighting the
accomplishments of the previous year.
“The st ate of our County is not only
strong, it’s stronger than it’s ever been
and I firmly believe that our finest days
are yet to come,” said Hein. “The difficult
and sometimes controversial decisions
we have tackled head on in the past are
now just beginning to pay the serious
dividends we had planned for all along,
helping us rebuild the county’s financial
foundation, improve our overall bond
rating, and accomplish what many people
just assume is impossible - greater access
to better services with lower taxes for
everyone. Ulster County property taxes
in 2018 are the lowest they’ve been since
all the way back in 2009, almost a decade
ago. All while helping our partners in
local government by providing over $32
million dollars in relief to our Towns and
the City of Kingston to help them balance
budgets, protect taxpayers and protect
essential services.”
Hein highlighted some of his
accomplishments from the past year:
Fiscal
The property tax levy for this year in
Ulster County is the lowest since 2009,
while providing greater access to better
services for citizens. In addition, the
County has provided the City of Kingston
and Towns with $32 million in relief.
Environment
The County completed its Utility-Scale
Solar Project at the former Town of Ulster
landfill with 6,320 solar panels, which will
generate 20% of the County government’s
entire electric needs.
Ulster County received the 2017 New
York State Department of Environmental
Excellence Award due to the County’s
leadership in environmental stewardship:
being the first and only “Net Carbon
Neutral” County in New York State
with 100% of County government’s
energy being generated from renewable
resources;
creating
the
largest
concentration of municipal electric car
charging stations in New York State; and
converting the County’s fleet to alternate
Ulster County Executive Mike Hein delivered
his annual State of the County address last
week.
fuel vehicles.
Ulster County has also been awarded
a special $85,000 State grant to evaluate
the direct impacts of climate change
and to work on local solutions to help
fight climate change. In addition, this
year the Ulster County Law Enforcement
Center will have a massive energy
efficient lighting upgrade which will
be accomplished in conjunction with
NYSERDA and Central Hudson.
Sexual Harassment Prevention
The County Executive highlighted the
new Ulster County Bystanders Against
Sexual Assault Program (UCBASA).
This ground-breaking program provides
bystander training for bar staff as it aims
to prevent sexual assaults before they
occur and reduce the overall number of
sexual assaults that take place. It is the
first such program in New York State and
can serve as a model for the development
of a state-wide initiative. This innovative
program developed by the Ulster County
Crime Victims Assistance Program was
launched in the college town of New
Paltz with the assistance of Town of New
Paltz Police Chief Joseph Snyder and
the President of the New Paltz Tavern
Owners Association Mike Beck.
Capital Construction
In total, this year has a near
unprecedented volume of capital work
with an aggressive time line that positively
impacts virtually every one of the 180,000
residents of Ulster County.
The $10 million new Family Court
facility is under construction located next
to the County’s Department of Social
Services in the Town of Ulster. This
new facility will improve efficiency and
services for children and families. It will
greatly improve the critical outcomes for
vulnerable children and their families by
placing a state of the art court facility
right next to health and human services.
Construction of a new Ulster County
Restorative Justice and Empowerment
Center which will be part of a major
overhaul of the juvenile justice system and
it will include important programming to
provide youth a second chance.
In 2018, Ulster County will make an
additional $16 million investment in
public infrastructure, totaling $61 million
over a four year period under the County
Executive’s “Building a Better Ulster
County” initiative.
Deliver a multi-location Fire Training
Center with an exterior training complex
at SUNY Ulster; a state of the art lecture
facility at SUNY Ulster; and burning and
extrication training split between the
Town of Ulster and Walker Valley. County
Executive Hein proposed the lecture hall
at SUNY Ulster be dedicated in memory
of the late Captain Jack Rose of the Mt.
Marion Fire Department – the Captain
Jack Rose Memorial Lecture Hall.
Legislative Agenda
The County Executive called for the
Ulster County Legislature to address
important issues and take action in 2018:
1)
Pass Comprehensive Campaign
Finance Reform designed with the best
good government groups in the state, to
ensure clean and fair elections forever
with the four following pillars:
2) Pass Tobacco 21 legislation, raising
the legal age to purchase cigarettes to 21,
reducing the number of people who begin
smoking at a younger age and the number
of people suffering from cancer, lung and
heart disease.
3) Create a county-wide single
bus system serving City of Kingston
residents as well as all residents with a
fully coordinated system. This would
be accomplished with no job loss, better
service, less risk and no additional cost to
the taxpayers.
4) Announced a three year agreement
in principal with CSEA, the County’s
largest labor union, which awaits
legislative approval; and
5) Unite to require the New York State
Legislature to reauthorize and extend the
Film Tax Credit for Ulster County.
For 2018 State of the County Speech and Presentation
please visit http://ulstercountyny.gov/executive/state-
county.