Ulster County amends 2026 budget to roll $2.3M in ARPA funds into agriculture relief and Main Streets work
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Summary
The committee approved a $2.3 million amendment to the 2026 budget to continue ARPA-funded agriculture relief and to launch Main Street Forward, including grants and a planned $700,000 revolving loan fund administered by the Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation.
Interim Director Joshua Stratton Rayner briefed the committee on a rewritten resolution to amend the 2026 Ulster County budget, allowing $2.3 million in previously allocated ARPA funds to roll forward for continued programs in agriculture relief and Main Streets development.
Stratton Rayner said the county used earlier ARPA allocations to launch farm-support programs and has already awarded $586,000 in Ag Crisis Relief last year to nine county farm businesses for farm viability and climate-resilience projects in partnership with the Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation (HVADC) and the Ulster County Soil & Water Conservation District. He said $700,000 of the current amendment is designated for a revolving loan fund for agriculture to be administered by HVADC to address higher costs of capital and provide low-cost bridge financing.
On the Main Streets initiative, Stratton Rayner described a two-phase approach. Phase 1 will fund municipalities to produce targeted economic-development plans for commercial corridors and downtown districts (a "quick and dirty" planning phase), and Phase 2 will reserve larger funding for implementation grants that put selected plans into action. The program — called Main Street Forward — will include hiring a lead consultant, third-party evaluation and a technical-advisory committee to guide planning and evaluation.
The committee approved the budget amendment. Chair and committee members thanked staff for the work and noted the program is intended to support long-term community economic benefit rather than one-off grants.
What’s next: The administration will release RFPs tied to Main Street Forward and circulate details about the agricultural revolving loan fund and related RFPs in the months ahead.