Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger rolled out a series of initiatives to boost transportation, agriculture, mental health and tourism, reiterating her pledge to build a thriving county that “leaves no one behind.”

In her second state of the county address Metzger began by noting moves to boost enforcement, education and engineering – “the three ‘E’s of traffic safety” – in the wake of traffic deaths of students from Kingston High School and SUNY New Paltz. More sheriff’s patrols will track the county’s most dangerous roads, she said, while a public awareness campaign will target aggressive and distracted driving and underline the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. The county will also work with the state to address hazards on state roads.

After thanking the county’s 1,400 employees who maintain 1,100 square miles of mountains, forests, and “gently rolling fields and apple orchards in the south,” Metzger said that she’s been spreading out her appearances over an area almost the size of Rhode Island. Tuesday’s speech, before a packed house of 135 people at the Orpheum Theater in Saugerties, followed a previous state of the county speech in Ellenville, and she noted that she unveiled her first budget in Marlboro.

Moving on to housing, an issue across the county, Metzger recounted her own history, a point she’s made before.

“I know what housing instability feels like,” she said. “Between the ages of 7 and 17, I lived in six different homes in three different states because our mom was out of affordable options. I remember all too clearly what that was like – to not feel settled at an age when stability is all you want.”

Some 42% of county residents spend more than half their income on housing, she said, putting upward pressure on rents and home-buying costs. In response, Metzger said she’s creating a housing and homelessness unit “to meet people where they are at emergency housing locations throughout the county,” adding that “we need to expand the supply of permanent housing options that people can afford.”

Metzger also cited the creation of the Housing Action Fund, whose $15 million of initial funding cycle comes up this spring. All projects that the fund supports must be sustainable and commit to being affordable for at least 50 years.

Fixing Flawed Utilities

She also lauded the “Plus One Home Program” which lets homeowners add an accessory dwelling unit to their property, saying it’s awarded almost 40 grants to homeowners to build an ADU, provided they guarantee affordable rent for at least 10 years. The program, which partners with RUPCO, sponsored an architectural design competition and the winning blueprints are free and available to any homeowner in the county.

Turning to what she called “unjust utility rates and practices,” Metzger drew a chuckle from the crowd by asking, “Who in this room hasn’t had an issue with her utility bill in the last two years?” Among other moves, she said her office is leading a push to make the Hudson Valley Water Co. account for disrupted service and poor water quality. “Water is life,” she said. “Our residents deserve service they can depend on.”

Mental health in Ulster County, meantime, remains a constant struggle, she said, citing figures that show the number of those served by the Ulster Mobile Mental Health Team rose by 18% since 2020 and that suicides jumped 67% in 2023 to 30. She cited help from “partner organizations” in the county, and after the speech praised the performance team when it assisted a member of her own extended family.

Schools are also benefiting from a pilot program called Mental Health in Schools that serves students throughout the county, she said, while saluting the new Ulster County Center for Well-Being in Kingston, where the county’s Mental Health Department has already moved and non-profit partners are providing “walk-in mental health care” and outpatient treatment for substance abuse issues. The Kingston center will later this year start offering 24/7 crisis services for youths and adults.

‘Nature Bus’ Announcement

On climate change, Metzger cited “climate-responsible” capital investments, greening the county vehicle fleet so that cars and light-duty trucks will be fully electric by 2035 and that heavy vehicles are targeted to be electric by 2040, while the bus fleet is already being electrified. UCAT bus ridership rose more than 40% in 2023 to 426,000, she said.

Turning to agriculture, Metzger noted that she formerly chaired the state senate’s agriculture committee, giving her “keen awareness of the challenges our farms face, including higher land and labor costs and the weather-related impacts of a changing climate, which make farm income even more unpredictable.” Metzger also gave a shout out to Saugerties’ own senator, Michelle Hinchey, who now chairs the committee.

"We are updating our Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan for the first time in 27 years,” she said. “We are rolling out a new county grant program to support farm investments in soil health, workforce housing, and other key areas of need.”

Looking ahead, she said the county “will embrace new opportunities” in the cannabis industry to support small farms and expand agritourism while meeting equity goals of state law. She vowed to help small-scale producers, micro-businesses and cooperatives navigate the regulatory landscape and plan for success – while also promoting traditional agritourism such as you-pick farms and wineries, distilleries and cideries.

Metzger brought her 30-minute speech to a close by announcing a “Nature Bus” from population centers to destinations including the Ashokan Rail Trail, Walkway over the Hudson and Minnewaska State Park.