MONTICELLO, NY — Every year, the Sullivan County Legislature votes to fund the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development with a grant of $125,000. This year at a meeting on January 23, most of the money was withheld by the legislature and only $25,000 was awarded to the partnership.

Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Robert A. Doherty released a statement regarding that move. “[The] decision by the legislature to table the distribution of $125,000 for 2020 to the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development should not be taken as an indication there’s something wrong. It’s simply about ensuring taxpayers’ money is spent in a wise and accountable fashion. We will soon engage in a dialogue with the partnership’s leadership and board to determine how county funds were spent in 2019 and how the partnership envisions they’ll be spent in 2020. My plan is to ultimately have a similar dialogue with all organizations which receive county funding.”

The legislature also formally voted to rescind the purchase of a parcel of land in Rock Hill that was intended to house a new Sullivan County Visitors Center.