Westchester County legislators hold special meeting to vote on proposed 2026 budget
Vedat Gashi, chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, said they ended up with a fiscally responsible, balanced budget that was below the tax cap.
Westchester’s county legislators passed the county's 2026 budget during a special meeting Monday.
Vedat Gashi, chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, said they ended up with a fiscally responsible, balanced budget that was below the tax cap.
However, the process came with some challenges.
"It's not what we would have wanted in totality, it's a tax increase at a time when people are struggling but it's a recognition of the environment we are and it's a dedication to the responsibility that we are all charged with," says Gashi.
The vote was 13 to 4.
Legislator James Nolan was one of those four.
"I just couldn't do it, to put the cost of increasing taxes when the county has significant amount of money in their savings, how can we ask them the taxpayers to go in their savings and help cover the cost of the bills but not go into ours," says Nolan.
County Executive Ken Jenkins announced the proposed spending plan back in November. He initially said it included some "tough but necessary" decisions.
That included a property tax levy increase of 5.27%.
County legislators have been reviewing the proposed budget for weeks. Last week, they made some revisions to the budget including a reduction in the proposed tax increase from 5.27% to 3.7%.
They also say the budget provides money for critical programs in the community like child care, support for domestic violence survivors and resources for food insecurity.
"Some long nights and days full of back-to-back meetings to get to the point in time that we're at, to motion the budget for approval and actually approve it. In that sense, that's some sense of accomplishment, but these times don't allow us to really view it as an accomplishment, these are tight times," says Westchester County Legislator Jewel Williams Johnson.
Jenkins released the following statement following the budget vote:
“I thank the Westchester County Board of Legislators for their diligent work and leadership in revising and passing the 2026 budget. The $2.5 billion dollar spending plan was shaped by one of the most challenging financial climates we have faced in years. The difficulties of 2025 will carry into 2026 and likely beyond, and this budget reflects the hard, necessary choices before us. We are operating in a moment of unprecedented instability created by decisions made in Washington by the Trump Administration – decisions far beyond the County’s control. Federal cuts, new requirements and tariff policies have injected volatility into local budgeting in ways we have not experienced in recent memory. This budget is a direct response to that Trump turmoil. Westchester’s 2026 budget reduces nearly all County department budgets by eight percent and eliminates 180 positions, reducing our workforce by almost five percent. Even with these cuts, we have produced a tax-cap-compliant budget that protects essential services, supports affordability initiatives and our workforce. For the average homeowner, this amounts to roughly $3 dollars more per month to sustain the level of service Westchester taxpayers expect and deserve. Again, I thank the Board for their partnership as we navigate this difficult moment together."
