Budget, COVID-19 Among Highlights
of Molinaro’s Virtual Town Hall Forum
Poughkeepsie, NY … Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro today hosted his latest online Town Hall Forum, discussing his 2021 Executive Budget and COVID-19 pandemic, among other topics, with residents and answering their questions.
County Executive Molinaro will release his 2021 Executive Budget at 11 a.m. on Oct. 28th, on the Dutchess County Government website – which will include his budget message; budget documents, including an interactive “Budget in Brief” flyer; and videos outlining several key initiatives – and the County Executive will host several subsequent virtual forums to discuss his budget proposal with residents:
- Wednesday, Oct. 28th at 5:30 p.m. – Tele-Town Hall Forum, during which residents can call (845) 765-7121 to take part in the conversation and ask questions; this forum will also be broadcast live on the Dutchess County Government Facebook page.
- Tuesday, Nov. 10th at noon – A virtual Town Hall Forum, which will be broadcast on the Dutchess County Government Facebook page, offering residents the chance to watch and ask questions.
- Thursday, Nov. 19th at 6 p.m. – A virtual Town Hall Forum, which will be broadcast on the Dutchess County Government Facebook page, offering residents the chance to watch and ask questions.
As with all his virtual forums, County Executive Molinaro will be joined by American Sign Language interpreters, who will translate the conversation for viewers.
Additionally, County Executive Molinaro today discussed several of the youth services initiatives in his 2021 Executive Budget, which continue many of the successful programs that have benefited the County’s young people and will expand the scope of services for youth.
Among the other highlights of today’s conversation:
- County Executive Molinaro updated residents on the most current data posted on the Dutchess County COVID-19 Community Impact Dashboard:
- 203,960 tests completed
- 5,355 confirmed cases
- 154 active cases
- 13 hospitalizations
- 164 deaths
- 5,037 recovered
- 2% regional positivity rate
- Dutchess County’s positivity rate was 0.9% on Wednesday, Oct. 21st
- While Bard College has announced a precautionary closure of its Annandale campus to visitors, the Dutchess County Department of Health (DBCH) confirms there are no active cases of COVID-19 associated with the school. More specific information is available on the Bard College website. DBCH continues to work with leadership at all colleges located in Dutchess County, as needed, to identify potential cases and clusters, and perform contact tracing.
- The cluster reported at Marist College relating to an October 3rd gathering has run its course, with a total of 30 cases in the cluster, according to DBCH. Marist College lifted its precautionary campus pause on Saturday, Oct. 17th. Specific information about campus activities is available at www.marist.edu.
- The Hedgewood Home for Adults in Beacon Assisted Living Facility is also considered resolved, with no new positive cases reported and no active cases within the facility.
- The three states that neighbor New York – Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania – now meet the criteria for the State’s travel advisory, but earlier this week Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a quarantine following travel to these states is impractical, given the interconnected nature of the region. He has hence discouraged non-essential travel to these states. There are currently 40 states and territories on the state’s travel advisory list, as Arizona and Maryland were added earlier this week.
- The Governor announced on Saturday that movie theaters are allowed to reopen, beginning this Friday, following the state’s announcement this past weekend they can only open in counties with no cluster zones and less than a 2-percent positivity rate. In order to reopen, theaters in such areas, including Dutchess County, must limit their capacity to 25 percent and no more than 50 patrons per screen.
- It was also announced this weekend that ski resorts will be able to open starting Nov. 6th. Masks will be required when individuals are not eating, drinking or skiing. Ski lift use will be restricted to members of the same party and facilities must follow thorough cleaning and disinfection protocols for rented equipment as well as other health and safety protocols.
- As part of the DEA’s 19th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, Oct. 24th, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and Dutchess County STOP-DWI Program will hold three collection locations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where residents can drop off unused/unwanted medications for safe disposal:
Fishkill Walmart
26 West Merritt Blvd
Fishkill, NY 12524
Dover CVS
3081 Route 22
Dover Plains, NY 12522
LaGrange Walgreens
704 Freedom Plains RD
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
In October 2019, 262 pounds of unused/unwanted medications were collected and turned over to the DEA as part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
An archive of the County Executive’s 40-plus virtual events since mid-March, including today’s discussion, is available on the Dutchess County Government YouTube page.
County Executive Molinaro will hold his next countywide Telephone and Facebook LIVE Town Hall Forum on Wednesday, Oct. 28th at 5:30 p.m. Residents can call (845) 765-7121 to take part in the conversation and ask questions; this forum will also be broadcast live on the Dutchess County Government Facebook page. As with all his previous online forums, County Executive Molinaro will be joined by American Sign Language interpreters, who will translate the conversation.
