Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus issued the following statement on Wednesday after Governor Kathy Hochul released details about her proposed 2023-24, $227 billion New York State budget.

“The state’s inability to produce a budget which reflects the priorities of New Yorkers is alarming. It is no wonder that, in the last two years alone, a half a million residents have fled New York.”

Neuhaus said that the State budget will withhold $9.8 million in federal funding provided to Orange County for Medicaid, part of the State’s plan to retain $1 billion in Medicaid statewide. In addition, Governor Hochul is proposing to raise the payroll mobility tax on businesses and the self-employed in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) service area.

“Withholding nearly $10 million for Medicaid is a shift to County property taxpayers,” Neuhaus added. “It is Albany making life less affordable for Orange County residents. Albany legislators must repeal bail reform to make New York safer, reject any effort to increase MTA related taxes, and finally make school property tax reform a priority.”