Rockland County Executive Ed Day unveiled his proposed $913.8 million 2026 budget on Tuesday at the Robert Yeager Health Complex in Pomona, announcing that the plan contains no increase in County property taxes.
Day explained that while his original goal had been to continue cutting taxes — noting that residents have already seen a 4% reduction over the past two years — rising costs and uncertainty about state and federal reimbursements prevented further cuts this year. “This is our way of still giving money back to the people, while continuing to act with caution and responsibility,” he said.
The proposed budget includes several key initiatives. The Rockland County Firefighter Memorial is nearing completion, and the County will allocate another $1 million to the HERROS program, which reimburses up to $6,000 in college tuition for volunteer emergency responders. Since its inception, HERROS has already provided nearly $400,000 in reimbursements. The County is also investing in its workforce through recruitment and training programs such as Emerging Leaders, which prepares employees for future leadership roles. In addition, the Purchasing Division has saved taxpayers $2 million over the past two years by negotiating contracts aggressively.
Day emphasized that Rockland’s improved fiscal stability is the result of disciplined budgeting that erased the $138 million deficit he inherited when he took office in 2014. He stressed that every tax dollar “belongs to our hardworking residents” and urged the Legislature to remain cautious. “I urge our Legislature to stand with me in safeguarding the money of our residents and refrain from engaging in careless spending happening in other localities, agencies, and the state and federal government,” he said.
By law, the budget must be submitted to the County Legislature by October 1. A public hearing must be held by November 20, and the Legislature must adopt the budget by December 7. If no action is taken by that date, the budget is automatically adopted. Should the Legislature amend the proposed budget, the County Executive has five days to approve or veto those changes, and the Legislature can then override any vetoes with a two-thirds majority by December 20.
Residents can watch County Executive Day’s full announcement here: Rockland County 2026 Budget Presentation.