Odell’s State of the County Hits on Good and Bad Facing Putnam
Marking 2015 as the Year of the Family, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell touched on a bit of everything that affects Putnam families in her first State of the County address since earning her first full term in office last November.
Odell, who mixed quick-witted humor with a couple of well-placed Ronald Reagan quotes, reviewed where the county has been over the past year, fitting numerous topics and county issues into her hour-long remarks inside the Putnam County Golf Course in front of a packed house last Thursday.
Trailing back to her budget address, Odell said when fighting the drug scourge in Putnam, her administration has “put our money where our mouth is,” partnering with multiple non-profits and boosting funding for the Sheriff’s Department. She also pointed out support from state Senator Terrence Murphy who is a co-chairman of the Senate Joint Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction and Senator Sue Serino, the other senate representative for Putnam
Besides her major announcement about new EMS commissioner Antony Sutton, Odell also said the county received a $150,000 grant to construct an emergency response unit, allowing the department to put all the critical equipment and vehicles under one roof that is centrally located and accessible.
Despite crunching state mandates and the county’s desire to provide adequate services, Odell said Putnam remains on solid financial ground. At the end of 2014, the fund balance was $18.8 million and Moody’s Credit Rating has Putnam at a strong Aa2 rating.
She mentioned the challenge to stay financially healthy, addressing the lawsuit the county lost against Jeffrey Deskovic, who was wrongly jailed for 16 years in Westchester, but still had Putnam ties because a former sheriff ’s investigator was connected to the case. All of this occurred before current office holders were in place.
“And I can tell you this, if that judgment had come in two weeks later, the 2015 budget would have been startling different,” Odell said. “There would have been a dramatic difference in what we did, but we paid our obligation.”
She said the county was able to negotiate with its insurance company to get them to pay $1.5 million of the $4 million Putnam had to pay Deskovic. She proposed to legislators to approve the settlement reached and put that $1.5 million toward capital projects.
One major ongoing project the county continues to handle is the revitalization of Tilly Foster Farm, which Odell noted has failing septic, deteriorating water pipes, and electrical problems. As repairs and renovations are ongoing, she said Tilly Foster is on its way to being a “tourist destination that sustains itself and is open to the public all the time.”
Another county owned property, the Putnam County Golf Course, Odell said earned $153,000 in gross profit in 2014.
With a brutal winter hitting Putnam, road resurfacing is needed, as well as repairs to culverts, bridges, and communication towers. The historic courthouse also needs to be taken care of, as Odell noted every county asset needs protecting. She hopes state government contributes to the funds of fixing these problems.
Odell explained why the county is extending the county sales tax to 8 and 3/8, noting if it were reduced, Putnam taxpayers would get “burned” and not the other entities like New York State or the MTA.
Odell also stood firm on why the county doesn’t share sales tax with local municipalities, claiming it carries expenses to the degree of almost $30 million away from localities.
“If the argument is that we don’t share, I would argue we do,” Odell said, noting the county takes on the financial burden of the Help America Vote Act, community college chargeback, and unpaid property tax for ten school districts and the six towns and three villages.
She also updated residents on the county’s legal fight against The Journal News, which wants to obtain the names of every pistol permit holder in the county. After losing originally, the county appealed the ruling and is awaiting a decision. She vowed to continue that fight to protect law-abiding gun owners in the county.
