Government Operations Center Capital Reserve Proposed by Chair Bartels and County Executive Metzger also Approved
KINGSTON, NY - County Executive Jen Metzger’s signature Budget proposals to create two $18 million capital reserve funds ($36 million total) for County infrastructure improvements were approved by the County Legislature at its December 18 meeting. The two reserve accounts together dedicate $36 million of the fund balance to needed investments in facilities and infrastructure that will save taxpayer dollars on avoided bonding costs over 15 years.
The Decarbonization Reserve will finance capital projects to improve energy efficiency in aged County buildings and facilities, replace fossil fuel-dependent HVAC systems and equipment at the end of its useful life with clean alternatives, and invest in on-site renewable energy. The reserve aligns with County Executive Metzger’s “Climate Action Commitment” in Executive Order 1 of 2023, enabling improvements to County buildings, facilities, and transportation infrastructure that reduce climate-damaging emissions, improve resilience, and save taxpayer funds in ongoing operational costs for energy.
“In the face of the climate crisis, we are creating the first County Decarbonization Reserve in the state, and quite possibly the nation, dedicated solely to County investments that reduce our impact on climate change and improve our resilience to its impacts while also reducing energy costs to taxpayers for the long-term,” said County Executive Jen Metzger. “This is a fiscally and environmentally prudent move that will pay dividends to residents well into the future.”
The County Legislature also approved a Government Operations Center Capital Reserve, proposed earlier this year by Chair of the Legislature Tracey Bartels and included in County Executive Metzger’s Executive Budget. The planned Government Operations Center will house the County’s 911 Dispatch Center, Emergency Services Department, and Emergency Operations Center for coordination during natural and man-made emergencies, and will provide a secure data center for critical information technology infrastructure. The $18M cash reserve fund is estimated to save County taxpayers over $1 million in borrowing expenses annually.
“The Government Operations Center, which will now have its own dedicated capital reserve, will provide our 911 operators and emergency services staff the tools they need to keep our communities safe, and I am proud to work with Chair Bartels and the Legislature to commit funding to move this project forward,” said County Executive Metzger.
By committing $36 million from the County’s fund balance, the two capital reserves bring the County in line with the new fund balance policy, which requires an unrestricted fund balance of between 15-20% of the County’s total operating budget. The 2024 Adopted Budget reserves the full 20% of operating expenditures, akin to a “rainy day” fund to protect taxpayers from any future economic uncertainty. The County Finance Department will administer the funds, and the Commissioner of Finance is required to provide detailed and regular reports to the County Legislature that include statements of receipts, disbursements, and balances. As the appropriating body, the Legislature must approve any spending of capital reserve funds.
Chair of the Legislature Tracey Bartels has been a staunch advocate for having the County make necessary investments in climate resiliency and renewable energy throughout her tenure. Bartels sponsored the resolutions in the Legislature approving both reserves.
“I was proud to sponsor and pass resolutions 702 and 364 of 2023 creating the Decarbonization Capital Reserve Fund and the Government Operations Center Capital Reserve Fund,” said Chair of the Legislature Tracey Bartels. “These common-sense actions allow the County to fund much-needed infrastructure investments and transition away from dirty fossil-fuel heating and energy systems without wasting taxpayer dollars on unnecessary debt. Addressing the climate crisis has been a core focus of mine over the 16 years I have served on the Legislature, and even though I am stepping down this year, I am confident in knowing that the Decarbonization Capital Reserve Fund will be in place to continue the incredibly important work on climate that we have begun.”
“I am also pleased to have been able to dedicate $18M for the construction of a County Government Operations Center, a project that is sorely needed and one that I know the next Legislature will take great interest in supervising the project’s budget and progress,” Chair Bartels continued. “I thank County Executive Metzger for her dedication to making Ulster County Government do our part to fight the climate crisis and keep our residents safe, and I look forward to seeing all of the good work to be done with these funds in the future.”
“I want to thank Chair Bartels for her work in advancing the Decarbonization Capital Reserve through the legislative process,” said Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger. “She has been a tremendous partner this past year as we have worked together to implement new environmental initiatives and pass a budget that will fund climate-resilient infrastructure and renewable energy production. I have been lucky to work with her, and Ulster County has been lucky to have her leadership in the Legislature.”
"The inspiring leadership of Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger shows that climate action and fiscal responsibility can go hand in hand," said Betta Broad, campaign director of New Yorkers for Clean Power. "By creating the first-ever Decarbonization Reserve to finance improvements in county buildings such as energy efficiency and heat pumps, Ulster County is demonstrating how we can implement our state's climate goal of transitioning off of fossil fuels while saving taxpayers money in the long term."
“The Decarbonization Capital Reserve Fund is a bold investment in environmental sustainability that will also provide economic benefits to the people of Ulster County,” said Tim Guinee, NY Legislative Director, Climate Reality Chapters Coalition. “As the first such fund in New York State (and possibly the nation), this demonstration of leadership by Executive Metzger and the Ulster County Legislature uplifts a replicable model for substantive climate action at the county level which will serve as a beacon to other counties equally invested in the moral imperative of confronting the climate crisis.”
###
