by 
Sullivan County Manager Joshua A. Potosek presented a $305.7 million tentative 2026 budget that avoids service cuts but raises property taxes by 9.1% to offset declining revenues and rising costs.
“We were looking at a double-digit hike,” Potosek said. “Through careful planning and use of our fund balance, we brought it down.”
Sales Tax Decline Drives Increase
Sullivan County is facing one of the steepest sales tax drops in New York, with revenue expected to fall more than $5 million from 2025. Potosek said that decline makes up about two-thirds of the tax increase.
“The biggest hit has been in construction and building materials,” he said. “Other sectors, like restaurants and lodging, have stayed flat.”
Inflation Adds Pressure
Inflation has pushed up costs across departments, especially Public Works, where plow trucks now cost more than double what they did before COVID. “These are not optional purchases — we have to plow roads,” Potosek said.
Rising health insurance and pension costs also continue to strain the county budget.
Services Maintained, Investments Continue
Despite the challenges, the budget preserves all current programs and continues funding key projects, including:
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$15 million for roads and bridges
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$1.3 million for SUNY Sullivan upgrades, including new elevators
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$500,000 for the Sullivan Promise Scholarship
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$150,000 for a composting facility design
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$100,000 for Land Bank property rehabs
Potosek called the Promise Scholarship “one of our most successful programs,” helping more students attend college and boosting local enrollment.
What’s Ahead
Potosek warned that state-level cost shifts could bring more pressure next year. “We know health insurance and pensions will rise — what worries me is the unknown from Albany,” he said.
Public hearings on the tentative budget are set for December 2 at 5 p.m. and December 4 at 10:45 a.m. at the Government Center in Monticello. Legislators must adopt a final budget by December 20.
Residents can view details and comment at sullivanny.gov.
With all the building going on here I hope people are paying there share of property taxes
I feel it’s on fair to raise it to 9.1
Especially the people that are here year around been here for a long time it’s bad enough property taxes are high as it is now
Just my opinion
Can we see the list of all the non taxable properties? How many, and who and why they are non taxable.
I think its pretty obvious why taxes are rising and sales taxes on building supplies are down. Hassidics are milking the system, playing every unjust loophole, and fraudulently using the welfare system to the tune of millions a year. They also truck in their own building supplies from other hassidic providers as they continue to decimate the rural nature of Sullivan County with massive building and oversaturation into villages, putting strains on infrastructures that can not handle the excess influx of bloc inhabitants. Then because of this excess usage and failure of infrastructure because of poor planning and mismanagement on the town and county levels, we, the locals, get socked with taxes to pay for new water and sewer systems and bridges. Its wrong. When locals get hit with stop work orders when building simple projects on their own property yet obvious bloc infractions to the building codes go unnoticed, theres a problem. We, the locals, the primary year round taxpayers, who’s existence in this county should be the priority and main concern of local politicians, are having their bank accounts squeezed and drained. We can’t afford it anymore. Something has to give. The hassidics should not be allowed to take over this county as if its all ethical. We know it isn’t. Somebodys taking hush money? Who are we kidding here?