Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger says rising housing costs and property taxes are squeezing working families across the region, and she is pushing a package of tax relief and housing investment to try to slow the damage. Metzger has proposed a 10% property tax exemption for full-time residents, framing it as a way to ease the burden on year-round households even as the county's housing market keeps shifting in complicated directions.
Metzger discussed the affordability crunch and her response to it in an interview that aired as part of Spectrum News's In Focus With Jodee Kenney, which airs Sundays on Spectrum News 1. The proposed tax reforms are designed to shift more of the cost burden onto higher-income earners and second homeowners, according to the segment, while easing pressure on full-time residents who live and work in the county year-round.
The tax exemption idea isn't new. At her 2026 State of the County address, Metzger laid out her plan to offer a 10% property tax exemption for full-time residents, and she told the crowd that “we've kept property taxes flat again this year. We're really doing our best to hold the line,” according to Hudson Valley One. Metzger has pointed to the second-home market as a major driver of the problem, saying it “has driven up housing costs for our residents and has made it hard for young families to find a home they can afford,” per the same outlet.
A Bill in Albany, With Strings Attached
The push for tax relief moved from county hall to the state legislature in late February, when Sen. Michelle Hinchey introduced a bill proposing a 10% property tax exemption to those Ulster County taxpayers who either live in Ulster County full-time or rent to full-time residents, as reported by the Daily Freeman. The bill is not a guaranteed fix, however. If approved, each municipality would decide whether to offer the exemption, the paper reported, meaning the tax break could end up applying unevenly depending on where a resident lives.
That local option structure leaves open questions about how many towns would actually adopt the exemption even if the legislation passes.
Nearly 700 Affordable Homes in the Pipeline
Beyond tax policy, Metzger's administration is leaning on a $15 million Housing Action Fund to expand affordable housing stock. The county's plans call for adding close to 700 affordable homes, the county executive said during her February address covered by Spectrum News, and officials aimed to open permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals and families by the end of 2026.
The fund itself was established as a $15 million initiative to support healthy, energy-efficient, climate-responsible housing for households earning up to 80% of Ulster County's Area Median Income, according to the Daily Freeman's reporting on the fund's origins. A third round of grant applications opened in September, making $2 million available for projects that support the construction, development, revitalization and preservation of affordable, workforce and supportive housing across Ulster County, the newspaper reported. Any housing built with that money must keep units at the affordable level for at least 50 years, with priority given to projects that secure permanent affordability, per the same report.
Housing Affordability Remains a Challenge
Housing affordability remains a challenge for many Ulster County residents, while the county pursues tax relief and affordable housing.
The county's own Housing Action Plan has described the affordability gap in stark terms, saying nearly one-third of homeowners and more than half of renters in Ulster County are currently living in unaffordable homes, according to Ulster County's planning department. That estimate underscores why Metzger's administration says it aims to expand affordable housing even as it pursues tax relief on a separate track.
Metzger's interview also touched on balancing economic development with farmland preservation, with the county outlining plans to support local farmers, expand access to financing, and strengthen its agricultural economy — efforts that run alongside the housing and tax initiatives as part of the broader affordability push facing full-time residents.
