The committee on July 1 approved a budget amendment to establish and fund a full‑time watershed coordinator position in the Department of Environment to support watershed management implementation; the vote to adopt the resolution passed unanimously.

The position is a county Class/Salary Allocation (CSA) full-time role with a stated annual salary of approximately $70,979. The first-year budget impact in the July resolution reflects the pro-rated cost for the remainder of the year: the financial appendix lists $22,255 in departmental income for the remainder of 2025 tied to the Hudson River Foundation’s pledge of implementation support. Committee members and staff said the Hudson River Foundation has pledged support (discussed as $150,000 total, $50,000 per year over three years subject to grant agreements) drawn from funds made available through New York City Department of Environmental Protection enforcement and consent-order arrangements for Lower Esopus work.

Why it matters: the coordinator position will provide county-level capacity to coordinate watershed projects, monitoring, grants and municipal outreach; members described it as a long-sought role to bridge planning and implementation for stream management and water-quality projects.

Discussion and funding: Deputy County Executive Laval and Director Doyle explained the funding pathway: New York City DEP consent-order implementation funds are being administered by the Hudson River Foundation for projects in the Lower Esopus area; the foundation has signaled support for coordination funding and a notice of funding availability covers additional implementation dollars. The county’s first-year budget shows the partial income and associated internal transfers; members asked about the ongoing match and were told negotiations and agreements are in progress to sustain multi-year support.

Outcome: The committee adopted the budget amendment creating the watershed coordinator position. Legislators Nolan, Stewart and others asked to be added as cosponsors to the resolution; sponsors said more program details will follow as the position is staffed.

Ending: Staff said the Department of Environment will brief the committee on duties and work priorities once the position is filled and as grant agreements with the Hudson River Foundation are finalized.