Once again, the dominant issue addressed at this session – by the public and the legislators — was Resolution 132, authorizing acceptance of a state grant in order to construct an emergency homeless shelter at 26 Oakley Street in the City of Poughkeepsie, and to amend the county budget in order to fund, design, and manage construction of the project. 20 members of the public (including five members of the Poughkeepsie Common Council) addressed the resolution before and after it was voted upon; all except one were residents of the City of Poughkeepsie and all but one voiced strong opposition. As in previous sessions, the objections were to the location in an already blighted neighborhood, to the failure of legislators to listen to stakeholders, answer their questions, or to even visit the location, to the financial burden, to bullying, racism, a lack of trust and a lack of communication.
Legislator Valdes-Smith, speaking for the Democratic caucus, echoed these sentiments. As she put it, “This neighborhood…has too many challenges as it is.” She urged the Legislature to listen to the people in the community who had come out time and time again and tried to engage in the process, but whose concerns left the Republican legislators unmoved. Legislator Brendli also complained about the location and the lack of clarity as to the model. Legislator Atkins moved again (without success) to table the resolution. He argued that locating the shelter in the Fifth Ward was dangerous, and that it was a civil rights issue and a public health issue in that it would have a disproportionate impact on an already marginalized, underfunded community. Legislators Kaul and Lawler added to this by pointing to a lack of information as to the costs associated with the project and an overall lack of due diligence regarding it. Legislator Houston, the only legislator to speak in support of the resolution, countered that she had yet to hear “a viable second solution,” and that doing nothing about homelessness was irresponsible. Ultimately, the Resolution was adopted by a party-line vote, with 14 Republicans voting for it and 10 Democrats against.
Other matters were unanimously approved. Chief among these was the reorganization of the current Department of Behavioral and Community Health to create two distinct departments – the Department of Health and the Department of Mental Health — and to establish the Office of Veteran Affairs, along with the appointment of Jean-Marie Nieburh as Commissioner for Mental Health and Adam Roche as Director of Veteran Affairs. As described in a presentation by Deputy County Executive Rachel Kashimer, the reorganization is neutral for position count and functional areas but, with some realignments, designed to streamline operations and explained that the projected fiscal impact would be less than $50,000. In response to legislators’ questions, she also explained that, in the event citizens perceived human rights violations, there would be no legal recourse at the newly reorganized departments, instead they would have to go through the State Commission of Human Rights. When asked about the metrics for measuring the success of the reorganization, she stated that they would look for increased access to additional resources, the number of people with whom the agencies interacted, and more aggressive grant applications. She also stated that rural communities would be reached through advertising and “word of mouth.”
Resolution 142, authorizing the use of fund balance in place of American Rescue Plan ARP funding for projects itemized in the county’s 2024 Dutchess Invest ARP plan was also unanimously approved, as were five resolutions on the consent agenda (## 126, 127, 140, 141, 145, 146). These resolutions dealt with inclusion of one property within Agricultural District 21, and a negative declaration with respect to another property[1]; appointments to the Fish and Wildlife Management Board; amending the budget as it pertains to the District Attorney; authorizing amendment of funding under the Trade Adjustment Act; and setting a public hearing with respect to a lease extension at the Hudson Valley Regional Airport.
Two commendations were given. The first, an official commendation, was given by Legislator Randy Johnson to the Hudson Valley Renegades for their contributions to the community, including, in particular, honoring the history of the Newburgh Gorhams. Organized in 1886 by Ambrose Davis, the first known African-American team owner in the history of professional sports, the Gorhams joined the League of All Colored Baseball Players in 1887, the first ever Black professional baseball league.
The second was an unofficial, in that it was not on the agenda. It went to the Office of Central Information Services in recognition of its ranking sixth in the nation for county governments for best technology for a county government and its extraordinary response when the Crowd Strike malfunction recently occurred and they worked to restore all County computers.
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As for reports, Legislator Faust reported that the Department of Emergency Response hosted a full-scale active shooter hostile response training exercise at Arlington Central School District on August 7th. The exercise involved 24 agencies and 125 participants, and will be evaluated for what worked well and what needs improvement. More training will come in the Fall.
[1] The farmer whose property apparently received the negative declaration spoke during the public comment section. He objected to being removed from Agricultural district, and indicated he was planning to sue the County.