Odell Delivers State of the County Address
In an election year with one challenger already coming forward, County Executive MaryEllen Odell left no stone unturned when she gave her annual State of the County address last week inside the Putnam County Golf Course banquet hall.
During her 90-minute speech, Odell hit on a wide array of topics, including finances, county projects, different events planned, and her position on state level issues that affect Putnam. She also revealed 2018 would be the Year of the Volunteer.
Odell, a Republican, is running for a final term in office this year and so far Kent Supervisor Maureen Fleming, a Democrat, has announced her intention to face her.
In front of a packed house, Odell emphasized that school safety would remain one of her administration’s top priorities, especially in light of the tragic mass shooting that occurred in Parkland, FL. last month. She said she affirmed the necessary funding for the school resource officer program a couple weeks before the shooting took place with school superintendents from districts that participate in the program. Nine deputies are dedicated to school systems throughout the county, which Odell said was imperative following the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
The program costs $1.35 million annually, but Odell said, “One child’s life, you cannot put a price on.”
Addressing the recent storms, Odell gave a play-by-play of eight busy days for emergency services and other county departments. During the March 2 storm, known as Winter Storm Riley, the county’s 911 center received 1,135 calls for assistance in one day, Odell said.
She stressed those eight days displayed how people across the county stepped up to get Putnam through two powerful storms.
“They were on point, they were focused, they were targeted, they were controlling everything that was going on,” Odell said of 911 center personnel. “It was very intense.”
While giving county and state workers credit, Odell slammed New York State Electric and Gas Corporation for a lax approach following the storm, where thousands of customers were without power for days. NYSEG also struggled to get crews out to evaluate if wires were still live or not at the site of downed trees, Odell said, which slowed the recovery.
Odell also called on New York State to fund the county’s aging radio communication system for emergency personnel. She said the 911 fee each taxpayer pays isn’t going back into public safety, but instead to the state’s general fund. She requested the state legislature pass legislation to ensure that 911 funding be allocated properly.
In one rare moment, Odell said she stood with Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo and advocated the state legislature pass the Internet Fairness Act, which would enable state governments to collect sales tax from remote retailers with no physical presence in the state.
She said approving that legislation would level the playing field for local businesses. Financially, Odell boasted the county has kept budgets under the tax cap and has a solid rating from Moody’s Investor Service. She said long-term debt has been reduced by 15 percent from when she was first elected, while the county still invested money into the county golf course and Tilly Foster Farm. She added short-term debt has been completely eradicated.
To build the county commercially, Odell again stressed sewer lines are imperative. One of the plants would be located at the Brewster-Danbury corridor and another would be along Route 6 in Mahopac. The Route 6 line would allow businesses like the Villa Barone Hilltop Manor to expand and construct a hotel, Odell said.
Lake Carmel is another possible location for a sewer plant and could replace old septic tanks that have led to problems in local lakes, Odell said.
Odell also updated residents on different projects underway in the county and events that are being planned. The Carmel Senior Center is going to be remodeled soon and the new Cold Spring Senior Center at the Butterfield redevelopment is supposed to open by the fall, Odell said. Tilly Foster Farm will hold a “Tilly’s Tea with Alice” that will include a quarter-mile trail that will tell the story of Alice in Wonderland starting May 4 and lasting a month.
The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall will also return in early October, which Odell said is a draw to the entire region, including veterans. The county will host a Medal of Honor Parade on July 21, which will be the first ever in New York State.
“We are honored and privileged to host some of the country’s greatest heroes,” Odell said.
