Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins has released his proposed $2.5 billion operating budget for 2026, outlining significant cuts across nearly all county departments in response to what he described as historic fiscal pressure from the federal government. The proposal reduces department budgets by 8%, including the County Executive’s own office, and eliminates 180 positions, representing almost a 5% reduction in the county workforce.
Jenkins stated, “This has been an extraordinarily difficult year, and the budget process reflected that. We are operating in a moment of unprecedented uncertainty driven by the Trump Administration’s decisions beyond our control. Federal cuts, shifting aid formulas and tariffs have created instability in local planning in a way we have not seen in recent memory. There’s no way to sugarcoat it, this is simply the reality of this moment — and we are committed to leading through it with transparency, partnership and integrity.”
The county faced a projected budget gap of $197.7 million. In seeking to avoid layoffs among county workers, Jenkins opted instead to eliminate vacant positions and implement targeted spending reductions.
“There is no magic number, and there is no hidden money to fill the gaps. This budget is Trump turmoil,” Jenkins said.
The proposed budget assumes flat sales tax revenue for 2026 despite increased costs tied to mandated services. While sales tax was originally expected to grow by 3.5% over 2024 forecasts for the current year, collections through September remained flat compared to last year. The full-year forecast for 2025 now stands at $943.5 million—$26.3 million below what was budgeted previously—with an estimated $970.4 million projected for 2026.
Another factor affecting revenues is the loss of MGM’s bid to develop a full-gaming casino in Yonkers, which would have brought an estimated $17 million annually into county coffers and potentially boosted related economic activity.
A portion of Westchester County’s sales tax continues to be shared with cities, towns, villages (excluding Mount Vernon, White Plains, Yonkers and New Rochelle), as well as school districts—a measure intended to help local governments keep property taxes lower than they might otherwise be.
“People are not spending money because of the chaos and uncertainty coming out of Washington,” Jenkins said. “The instability created under Trump has seeped into Westchester County and is wreaking havoc on our finances — and we are not alone. Local governments across New York State and across the nation are confronting the very same pressures.”
Despite these challenges, Jenkins emphasized that essential services will be preserved within the new budget framework—including programs supporting food security efforts; protection resources for victims of domestic violence; free vaccine clinics; recycling opportunities; workforce development initiatives such as job fairs and training; senior nutrition programming; telehealth initiatives; mobile crisis teams; and youth mental health programming.
To address ongoing uncertainties from federal mandates while maintaining core services for residents, Jenkins reiterated his administration’s commitment: “Make no mistake about it this is a Trump tax increase. This budget reflects tough but necessary decisions. Every department is facing an 8% reduction, and we are implementing a hard hiring freeze that will eliminate 180 positions — avoiding layoffs while maintaining essential services. Even with these cuts, the budget does not account for potential future reductions from the federal government. Our goal remains clear: protect the programs residents depend on without sacrificing fiscal stability by tapping into reserves.”
