Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon reports in Columbia-Greene Media that Greene County Legislature’s Finance Committee on Nov. 13 approved a tentative $131 million 2024 budget. That is $8.8 million more than last year's budget. The tax rate that comes with the budget varies by towns with increases in Cairo (3.3 percent), Coxsackie (0.8 percent), Greenville (2 percent), Halcott (6.2 percent), Hunter (1.9 percent), Jewett (3.6 percent) and Prattsville (2.9 percent) and decreases 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). The finance committee vote was 12-to-1, with Michael Bulich, a Republican from Catskill, voting against. Bulich said, “I believed the budget went up too much.... I’m not a fan of having to increase the budget by $3 million because the state is reneging on Medicaid coverage.” The county has $35 million in debt from the Greene County Jail has the largest amount outstanding at $35 million, $3.8 million for the 2016 Greene County Courthouse renovation, and $118,200 for Columbia-Greene Community College. The Greene County Legislature will vote on the budget on Nov. 15. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.