Raymond Pignone reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Greene County lawmakers are proposing a tentative 2024 budget of $131 million, up $8.8 million from 2023 with property tax increases in half of the towns. Budget increases include $2.8 million for the Department of Social Services, $641,508 for retirement benefits, $470,800 for vehicles and equipment, $218,872 for health insurance, and $115,947 for workers’ compensation. Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said increased sales tax revenues have kept the tax levy lower. Groden said, “This is the fifth consecutive year that there has been no change in the tax levy, and that certainly is good news.... We have a large increase in spending, and we were able to absorb that this year, but now we have to start asking ourselves how long can we keep doing that.” Still, seven of 14 towns in Greene County will see their property tax rates increase including Cairo (a 3.3 percent increase), Coxsackie (0.8 percent), Greenville (2 percent), Halcott (6.2 percent), Hunter (1.9 percent), Jewett (3.6 percent) and Prattsville (2.9 percent). Tax rates are expected to go down in Ashland (4.6 percent), Athens (33.1 percent), Catskill (7.7 percent), Durham (2 percent), Lexington (0.8 percent), New Baltimore (0.3 percent) and Windham (2.2 percent). A public hearing on the budget will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30, at Catskill Middle School. Read more about this story in HudsonValley360.com.