KINGSTON – By a 18 to eight vote, the Ulster County Legislature Wednesday approved the county’s 2026 budget of $491 million.
The spending plan used some $35 million in county unappropriated fund balance, something opponents like Herb Litts said was not balancing the budget but just taking money from the county savings.
“We just keep kicking this can down the road and if we keep taking money out of our fund balance to balance we are going to look like Washington with $38 trillion in debt,” he said. “We really need to make a concerted effort to balance our budget and not keep drawing from our savings because any household would know that if you keep taking out of your savings to pay all of your balls, eventually you do not have savings.”
Litts said instead of drawing down the fund balance, taxes should be raised little by little each year to cover expenses.
The budget now goes to the county executive for her review and approval.
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