Greene County Legislature approves routine slate of resolutions, sets hearing on police-survivor property tax exemption

The Greene County Legislature convened its sixth regular meeting of 2026 and approved a broad slate of routine resolutions, set a public hearing on a proposed property tax exemption for police survivors, and recessed into executive session to discuss pending litigation.

The body voted to set a public hearing on “local law introductory number one of 2026,” a Greene County measure that would provide a real property tax exemption for property owned by the surviving spouse of a police officer killed in the line of duty pursuant to section 471 of the Real Property Tax Law. The motion to set the hearing was moved and seconded and carried; the transcript does not specify a hearing date.

Members approved many other items largely by consent, including authorization to pay county claims (general and highway funds), purchase authorizations for highway equipment, agreements between Greene County Mental Health and multiple school districts, and several travel and appointment items. The legislature awarded a contract under Capital Project No. 161 to Beth Bellamy Construction Company, Inc. for water and sewer utility improvements at the Caro Senior Center; one legislator recorded opposition but the motion carried.

The body also approved Resolution 23426 to hire Max K. Roush of Rous Executive Search, Inc. to conduct a comprehensive executive search. Several budget amendments were approved, including funding for the Sheriff's Explosive Detection K9 Team (a grant amendment) and a budget amendment for Greene County Mental Health under the New York State Office of Mental Health; at least one opposing vote was recorded on the mental-health amendment but it passed.

After concluding the listed agenda items, the chair moved — and the body seconded — to enter executive session to discuss pending litigation; the motion carried and the legislature recessed into closed session.

Votes at a glance - Resolution 21026 (authorization to pay claims): carried. - Resolution 2126 (authorization to pay highway claims): carried. - Resolution 21226 (contract with Greene County Deputies Association): carried (roll-call responses recorded, some nays). - Resolution 21326 (set public hearing on local law for surviving-spouse property tax exemption): carried (hearing date not specified). - Resolution 23326 (Capital Project No. 161; Caro Senior Center water/sewer improvements; contract awarded to Beth Bellamy Construction Company, Inc.): carried (one recorded opposition). - Resolution 23426 (hire Rous Executive Search, Inc. for executive search): carried. - Resolution 23726 (budget amendment: Sheriff's Explosive Detection K9 Team Grant): carried. - Resolution 23826 (2026 budget amendment: Greene County Mental Health): carried (recorded opposition noted). - Motion to enter executive session on pending litigation: carried.

What happened next The meeting recessed into executive session on pending litigation. The transcript ends as the body entered closed session; no date for the scheduled public hearing on the proposed local law was included in the transcript.

Attribution The meeting record identifies individual legislators repeatedly by title (e.g., "Legislator Martinez," "Legislator Davis") and names other participants such as the clerk (identified as Tanya) and the chair (referred to as Chairman Linger). The transcript does not provide full spoken roll-call tallies for every item or a hearing date for the local-law matter.

Notes on sources and limits This article is based solely on the meeting transcript provided. Where the transcript used variant spellings for the same name, the article uses consistent spellings where the record was clear; the transcript did not include a meeting date or a public-hearing date for Resolution 21326, and those details are reported as not specified.