CARMEL- A mailing error has delayed gas tax savings for Putnam County drivers until September.

The Putnam Legislature’s Audit Committee received the news at Thursday’s meeting when Legislator Bill Gouldman of Putnam Valley advised his colleagues that the clerk of the legislature Diane Trabulsy had been notified by the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance that “due to an irregularity in the mailing procedure” an original resolution calling for the reduction in sales tax effective June 1 had to be rescinded.

With help from Legislative Counsel Heather Abissi and in consultation with the state, lawmakers approved one resolution rescinding the original measure and another enacting a Motor Vehicle Sales Tax Adjustment effective September 1.

The lawmakers’ decision results from skyrocketing fuel prices due to global oil disruptions resulting from United States military actions in Iran.

In March, Gouldman introduced a resolution to cap the county’s sales tax on gasoline and diesel fuel at $3 per gallon which received the board’s unanimous support.

The proposal stops Putnam from collecting tax revenue on gas prices above $4 a gallon, easing the burden on residents as fuel costs have surged in recent weeks.

Putnam’s reduction mirrors similar legislation approved in Rockland County.

The reduction will not kick in until September because according to the NYS Department of Taxation local jurisdictions can only change local sales tax rates quarterly on March 1, June 1, Sept. 1 and Dec. 1.