Promises Made, Promises Kept
As your Columbia County Treasurer, PJ Keeler has worked hard to keep the promises he made to you on the campaign trail... and we're happy to report, he's done just that!
PJ has increased efficiencies by reorganizing staff roles and responsibilities.
He's reduced personnel cost by eliminating areas of duplication across county departments and consolidating business functions into one central Business Office.
He's helped to reduce tax receivables by over $7 Million by working with the County Attorney's Office and the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.
As your Treasurer, PJ Keeler has also...
- Worked to keep the tax levy at just 8/10th of 1% per year over the last 7 years, saving Columbia County taxpayers approximately $2.5 Million.
- Refunded high interest bonds to obtain lower interest rates, saving taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.
- Created an initiative to help local fire departments cover the costs of a new state-mandated cancer insurance program, and did so in a way that would not negatively affect either the County’s or local towns’ compliance with the state tax cap.
- Negotiated with banks to obtain higher interest rates and no banking fees on Columbia County deposits.
- By employing strong fiscal management and conservative fiscal policy, PJ was successful in his efforts to have Columbia County removed from the New York State Comptroller’s Office watch list of municipalities “susceptible to fiscal stress.” We achieved this through the use of balanced budgets and strong operational oversight, leading to five straight years of budget surpluses.
But there's much more to do, and PJ's ready for the challenges that lie ahead!