CARMEL – The Putnam County Legislature voted Thursday evening to override County Executive Kevin Byrne’s vetoes, preserving a $12.5 million property tax cut and rejecting a nearly $17,000 increase in the Republican executive’s annual salary.
Lawmakers restored the reduction in Byrne’s salary from $191,000 to $175,000 after the county executive vetoed the Legislature’s amendment to his compensation.
The Legislature also preserved a property tax reduction nearly twice the size of Byrne’s original proposal, reducing the county tax levy from $45.2 million to $32.6 million for 2027.
Byrne had opposed the additional tax relief, arguing that drawing further upon the county’s substantial reserves could jeopardize long-term financial stability and lead to future tax increases.
Legislators disagreed, maintaining that Putnam’s strong financial position and substantial fund balance justified returning more money to taxpayers rather than continuing to accumulate reserves.
The competing priorities placed the Republican County executive at odds with the Republican-controlled Legislature over two traditionally conservative fiscal objectives: reducing taxes and restraining government spending.
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