THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR | 2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)

County Executive George Latimer Will Wait Until Actual Marijuana Legislation is Passed and Signed by Governor Before assessing Impact on County Drug Policies.

Posted on March 27, 2019 by John Bailey

WPCNR County Clarion-Ledger. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. March 27, 2019:

The Westchester County Executive George Latimer issued an interim statement on proposed legalization of marijuana yesterday, now under discussion in the state legislature. He indicates he is going to wait and see what final legislation is passed and signed by the governor before considering how to apply the law in Westchester County and communities. Here is that statement:

“The New York State Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo are currently contemplating legalizing marijuana for adult use. While it is unclear if the proposal will pass now, or at a later date, some neighboring counties have already declared they will be “opting out.”

While I respect their decision to draw a line early on, here in Westchester County I prefer to wait. We need to wait and see what becomes law, and in what form. Further, it is possible, that there may not be an opt-out clause in a final document.

“While opting out may be a provision of the final bill, it should be noted that it does not affect the legal use or possession of marijuana in the County. The impact that it will have is to prohibit the sales or cultivation of marijuana within that county.

“The issue is being intensely debated in the community at large, with both pro and con arguments raised. That advocacy should be directed to our state officials, who have the sole authority to pass or deny legalization or decriminalization.

“Should the measure pass this year, and should a County opt-out provision be included in the law, our Administration and the Board of Legislators will meet to determine how to handle our role in the matter. Until then, we welcome all opinions and arguments on either side, as befits our policy of inclusion of all public input.”

NEW YORK MUST STOP PREVAILING WAGE LEGISLATION

Posted on March 26, 2019 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. Oped from Marsha Gordon and John Ravitz, Westchester Coalition for Smart Development and the Business Council of Westchester. March 26, 2019:

With the shock of Amazon’s decision to abandon its plan for opening a second headquarters in New York still fresh, New York State now is facing another decision with the potential to be even more damaging to the State’s increasingly fragile economy. It’s called Prevailing Wage legislation and it is a construction project killer.

Both the Assembly and the Senate have included Prevailing Wage language in the new State Budget scheduled for adoption by April 1. If passed, this legislation, that is strongly backed by the construction labor unions, would require that any development project receiving state funding assistance would be required to the pay prevailing wages for all construction labor. The requirement, which would apply to private development projects as well as projects built by not-for-profits including hospitals and colleges, would increase labor costs by 30 percent or more.

What would this mean? However well-intentioned, instead of helping construction workers, it’s a job killer. In simplest terms, any project receiving financial assistance would pay union wages for all work. While laudable on the surface, the consequences are far-reaching and would bring a large percentage of the major construction projects planned in communities across the state to a standstill. The most severe impact would be on urban downtowns such as in Yonkers, New Rochelle and White Plains that are on the cusp of unprecedented revivals after decades of little or no new investment.

Why? Without state subsidies, the vast majority of projects being planned in urban downtown locations will simply not be built. State and municipal subsidies provide the financial cushion to make these costly construction projects financially viable. The vast majority of the affected projects are residential, meaning much needed new housing at all levels, including affordable housing built by non-profit groups, could not move forward.

The significantly increased labor costs resulting from the proposed legislation would be particularly harmful in Westchester where residential rents are considerably lower than in New York City.

In Westchester, more than 30 prominent development company leaders have joined with the Business Council in forming the Westchester Coalition for Smart Development to present the facts about the unintended consequences of the proposed legislation. We have met with the entire Westchester legislative delegation, as well as other leaders in Albany to promote an open public dialogue before passage of this far-reaching legislation. We have also joined with the Business Council of New York State in this effort.

We need look no farther than Yonkers to see the consequences of requiring Prevailing Wages. For 18 months the City’s Industrial Development Agency (IDA) imposed the requirement for any project it funded. What happened? The additional labor expense was far greater than the IDA benefits would have been. The net result? Not a single major proposal came before the IDA during that period.

We have no opposition to union labor. In fact, most major projects employ some union labor. But requiring all construction projects receiving public financing of any kind to pay union wages will effectively assure that most of the projects won’t move forward. That is certainly not an outcome that anyone wants.

We strongly urge that the Prevailing Wage legislation proposals be put on hold until a thorough and thoughtful discussion of all consequences takes place. New York State cannot afford to do otherwise.

Marsha Gordon, President & CEO

John Ravitz, Executive Vice President & COO

The Business Council of Westchester

SLOW FADE: WP SALES TAX $$ DECLINE 6 OF LAST 8 MONTHS, $1 MILLION

Posted on March 26, 2019 by John Bailey

Slow Fade: WP Sales Tax Revenues Decline in 6 of Last 8 Months, Down 2.7%, $1 Million

County Sales Tax Dollars Up in 6 of last Months. Up 4.5% 1^st Two Months of 2019.

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. From the New York State Department of Taxation & Finance with analysis by John F. Bailey. March 26, 2019:

White Plains is in a slumping economy.

Perhaps March with its inclement weather and March Madness will turn things around.

It has to, because after 8 months of the city fiscal year, the city has earned $33,038,728, $929,896 behind the 2017-18 pace, a 2.7% decline. White Plains sales taxable activity has declined almost 5% below the inflation rate which is about 2%.

Meanwhile, Westchester County is 4.5% ahead the first two months of its new fiscal year, the county economy has grown for the 7^th straight month and maintained its average of approximately 5% growth each month. That is more than double the inflation rate.

White Plains, as it plans its 2019-20 Budget, should be concerned.

If White Plains pulls in last year numbers the next 4 months it will receive $49.147 Million in sales taxes.

If the 3% declining rate is continued over the next 4 months, the revenue will erode to $48.664 Million in sales tax receipts.

With labor negotiations in mind, where a 3% increase is expected to be lobbied for by all unions, in line with the precedent the county set in its negotiations, a 3% decline in sales tax revenues (that fund White Plains year to year raises in the payrolls)—

This six month slow fade is worrisome.

TIGER CLUBS EXPLODE 14-3 ON OPENING DAY ON FRIGID O’DONNELL’S BLUFF

Posted on March 25, 2019 by John Bailey

PLAY BALL! TIGER PITCHER FIRES THE FIRST PITCH OF THE WHITE PLAINS FASTPITCH SOFTBALL SEASON ON A NEW FIELD (WITH BIG LEAGUE FOUL POLES), WITH NEW TIGERS!

THE TIGER STAKE THE FIELD–ALWAYS A THRILL ON OPENING DAY