Poughkeepsie, NY … Earlier this week, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro submitted the Annual Report for 2021 to the Dutchess County Legislature, pursuant to the requirements of the Dutchess County Charter. The annual report provides an overview of the County’s finances, as well as highlights of the work and activities of the Executive Branch of county government over the past year.
County Executive Molinaro said, “Dutchess County continued to rise above the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 with each of our departments and divisions maintaining the high-quality services and programs that so many of our residents rely upon. This annual report provides the Legislature many highlights of the tremendous work the dedicated men and women of Dutchess County Government have accomplished over the past 12 months."
The annual report features a brief review of Dutchess County’s financial condition, which has seen a strong recovery under the leadership of County Executive Molinaro thanks to preventative cost-saving measures taken in 2020 coupled with $57 million in financial support from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and a surplus in sales tax revenue following increased consumer spending post economic shut-down. Additionally, the increase in sales tax revenue is anticipated to have a significant positive impact on the County’s General Fund Balance, which will be used to reduce indebtedness, invest in capital projects, and reduce the County’s property tax levy by over $5.5 million, the largest reduction in County history, as well as decreasing the property tax rate by 10 percent, the seventh straight property tax rate decrease for homeowners and businesses.
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The report also features a summary of the activities of the Executive Branch departments of Dutchess County Government, demonstrating the continued hard work and dedication of Dutchess County Government employees. Among the work activity highlights:
● Office for the Aging (OFA) delivered over 136,000 hot meals to more than 600 clients as well as hosting a dozen drive-through picnics, serving 3,966 residents, and five drive-in BINGO events attended by over 200 seniors.
● Veterans' Services assisted more than 17,000 Dutchess County veterans and their families.
● HELPLINE staff answered 23,843 calls and 742 text messages from individuals seeking mental health assistance.
● Hosted more than 4.3 million pages with over 1.2 million visitors on the County’s website, dutchessny.gov.
● Community & Family Services (DCFS) provided services to over 30,000 Dutchess County residents.
● The 9-1-1 Communication Center answered 206,779 calls, dispatching 119,786 incidents.
● Human Resources reviewed 5,659 applications for appointment eligibility, including 3,922 exam applications and 1,737 recruitment applications.
● The Department of Planning and Development coordinated 10 grant programs, awarding more than $12.4 million in projects, programs, and organizations.
● Desipite issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Probation and Community Corrections Pretrial Services division conducted 1,294 pretrial screens, resulting in 761 releases to supervision, an increase over the previous year.
● The Public Defender’s Office represented 6,570 individuals, including 4,109 cases in the criminal and appellate courts and 2,661 cases in the family courts.
● Public Works (DPW) Highway division completed over 19.5 miles of road surface improvements on 13 county highways.
● Dutchess County Public Transit (DCPT) logged over 530,000 passenger trips and its Dial-A-Ride service saw a 101 percent growth with more than 12,000 rides in 2021.
County Executive Molinaro said, “Though not without its challenges, 2021 was undoubtedly a successful year for Dutchess County Government. While still coping with a new reality brought on by this unprecedented pandemic, the dedicated men and women of Dutchess County Government continued to adapt and innovate to go above and beyond for the more than 300,000 people who call our great county their home. We look forward to 2022 and a prosperous new year of building on our successes and working through challenges together.”
County Executive Molinaro will outline his priorities and focus for Dutchess County Government in 2022 at his annual State of the County address, a date for which will be announced soon.
