‘The State of Our Beloved County is Strong”

𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 Ed Day highlighted the incredible work of Rockland County Government employees during the pandemic and the continued growth of Rockland’s economy despite another year of challenges sparked by the pandemic. The County Executive spoke Tuesday night from the chambers of the Rockland County Legislature to Commissioners, Department Heads, employees, elected officials, and residents of Rockland.

One of the main focuses the County Executive stressed was the strengthening of Rockland’s economy.
“Thanks to our commitment to responsible development, we have increased our total value of taxable real estate by $7.4 billion in five years; that’s a 21% increase,” 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐲. “This growth ultimately brings good jobs to Rockland, stabilizes our tax base, and shields families from the double-digit tax increases of the past.”

Rockland County’s unemployment rate is down to 3.3% and is among the lowest rates across the Hudson Valley region.

Rockland County received $63 million in Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, which is geared towards helping communities recuperate from the pandemic. The County Executive touched on grants recently launched to help residents including the Reviving Rockland Restaurants Grant Program which is utilizing $500,000 of ARPA funds to support local businesses. Rockland County has already awarded funding to several restaurants through that grant.

“I am so proud of this collaborative effort that helps so many Rockland residents. These organizations support our communities, and it is our duty to support them in return, however possible. I’m proud to reimburse restaurants for unexpected costs forced upon them by the pandemic and this program will help ensure their economic recovery stays on track,” 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐲.

Additional assistance utilizing ARPA funding is also on the way. Following the State of the County address the County Legislature voted to approve the Urban Green Spaces Grant, which will widen urban greenspaces and outdoor recreation options, and a Small Business Rescue Grant, to help reimburse small businesses for expenses incurred by COVID.

Below are some of the major highlights presented by County Executive Day.

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭:

• Administered over 57,000 COVID-19 vaccinations
• Redistributed over 32,000 COVID-19 vaccinations to Rockland providers
• Partnered with Office for People with Disabilities to vaccinate 3,000 individuals with disabilities

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭:

• Completed 741 development applications for municipalities, a record high

𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞:

• Brought in $958,000 in filming revenue in 2021
• Awarded $205,000 in Tourism Grants to 22 organizations

𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡:

• Children’s Community Assistance, Response, and Engagement Team (CARE Team) responded to 237 referrals of individuals 21 and under, with behavioral or emotional challenges

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭:

• Diverted 86% of youth from the Family Court system under the Raise the Age program

𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭 (𝐑𝐂𝐈):

• Assessed $270,900 in fines in 2021

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬:

• Conducted 411 inspections
• Found 447 violations

The County Executive concluded the speech with a reminder of how far Rockland has come since he took office in 2014, reiterated his commitment to leading Rockland further down the path of success and called for residents to get involved.

“We have improved and streamlined county government for the benefit of both the people we serve and for our taxpayers. Our years of conservative budgeting have paid off; we are fiscally healthy and can now focus on reviving and rebuilding Rockland for the future.”