Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell has held the second in a series of information sessions about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s County-wide Shared Services Initiative.  The proposal requires county officials to develop localized plans that find property tax savings by coordinating and eliminating duplicative services and propose coordinated services to enhance purchasing power. 

The first session was held last month.  There will be another session next month.  Odell is seeking feedback and suggestions from Putnam County residents on shared services.

Some of the suggestions include joint purchasing of energy and insurance, sharing highway and plowing services and reducing back office administrative overhead.  She notes that school districts account for 71-percent of tax dollars, towns are 18-percent and the county is 9-percent.  Odell says Putnam County still has the lowest county tax portion on bills in New York State

Odell says she has tried to manage county government through socially and fiscally responsible measures.