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 FINISHES WITH ALL TIME RECORD SALES TAX, $550.5 MILLION 5% OVER LAST YEAR WITH $25 MILLION GAIN.

Posted on January 14, 2019 by John Bailey

WHITE PLAINS 3% BELOW LAST YEAR’S SALES TAX PACE AFTER 6 MONTHS.

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey, Based on Figures from New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. January 19, 2019:

Westchester County set a sales tax receipts record in 2018.

In figures for December released today, the Department of Taxation and Finance reports the final figure for Westchester sales tax receipts for the fiscal year just ended is $550,562,481, a 4.8% increase over the 2017 sales tax handle of $525,513,104.

This is a $25 Million dollar gain from last year’s sales tax. How the sales tax windfall is being used in the 2019 budget is not clear at this time.

On the local city scene, the White Plains sales tax after the first six months of the WP fiscal year 2018-19 is running 3% behind last year’s pace. At the halfway mark the city has earned $24,787,997 the first six months this fiscal year, compared to $25,497,198 the first half of 2017-18, a 2.8 % decline.

If White Plains equals the pace of the first six months of 2018, January through June in 2019, the city would receive $25,497,198 when added to the $24,787,997 already in the till, at the halfway mark, the city would equal last year’s handle by June, realizing $50.3 MILLION.

However, the city is down 3%, and the city handle declined in December, something that is unusual.

If you a apply a 3% decline trend over the next six months the city take would be $48,630,089, a 3.3% decline.

A figure that is sobering about what it says about the White Plains economy is Westchester County was up 9.2% in sales tax dollars Dec 2018 vs. Dec. 2017 while White Plains was down about 1% — not even keeping pace with inflation.

The county 9.2% gain matched their biggest month to month gain of the year. However the overall tax receipts prediction the county made in early November was $578 Million, and they fell $28 Million.

WESTCHESTER WILL NOT PROSECUTE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA LESS THAN 2 OUNCES, BEGINNING MONDAY THE 14TH

Posted on January 13, 2019 by John Bailey

WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. From the Office of the Westchester County District Attorney. January 13, 2018:W

In a continuing effort to promote fairness in how crime is prosecuted, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. is implementing changes in the handling of low-level marijuana offenses in Westchester County.

Under this new policy, the possession of small amounts (two ounces or less) of marijuana will no longer result in a criminal conviction negating the collateral damage such a conviction might impose.

The changes in prosecution of these current laws with take effect Monday, Jan. 14, 2019:
• Unlawful Possession of Marijuana (Penal Law § 221.05, a Violation)
• Criminal Possession of Marijuana in the Fifth Degree (Penal Law § 221.10, a Class B misdemeanor)

Specifically, the District Attorney’s Office will no longer prosecute (i) the violation offense in Penal Law §221.05, Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, and (ii) the B misdemeanor offense in Penal Law §221.10 (2), Criminal Possession of Marijuana in the Fifth Degree, based on the possession of an aggregate weight of more than 25 grams, provided the person is only charged with those offenses.

Regarding the second charge, the DA’s Office will prosecute the B misdemeanor offense in Penal Law §221.10 (1) only as a violation (under Penal Law §221.05 for the Unlawful Possession of Marijuana) when a person possesses, in a public place, burning or publicly viewable marijuana, provided the person is only charged with this offense.

This will avoid the stigma of a criminal record for many of our young people with long-lasting negative consequences disproportionate to the minor nature of the offense.

The District Attorney’s review of the prosecution of lower level marijuana offenses is ongoing and further changes will be announced as they are adopted.

DA Scarpino said,

“After a careful review of marijuana cases in Westchester, as well as discussions with police, community leaders and advocates, we have made the decision to change how we prosecute such offenses.

This decision not to prosecute specific cases will allow many people to move forward with their lives without the stigma attached to criminal records of any kind, records that cause discrimination in housing, job and school applications.

Much of this has burdened our minority communities and we believe it is time to rectify that.”

DA Scarpino added,

“This change in how low-level marijuana cases are handled is also aimed at a better use of public resources. What has been spent on arrests and prosecutions can now be used to focus on more serious crimes.”

Beyond this decision, DA Scarpino is urging Governor Cuomo and state legislators to create a uniform approach to prosecuting marijuana offenses and end the disparity currently in place from county to county.

This progressive action by the DA’s Office follows bail reform, which was announced last year at this time.

The DA’s Office no longer requests bail for defendants whose cases would not end in a sentence of incarceration, eliminating cash bail for most misdemeanors. The office found bail on non-violent low-level offenses where the defendant was not a flight risk weighed heavily on poorer defendants.

DA Scarpino said, “These reforms in the bail process and marijuana prosecution are illustrations of our commitment to a fairer system of justice that works for every member of our community, no matter where they live, the color of their skin or the amount in their wallets.”

The DA’s Office reserves the right to continue to prosecute all other marijuana-related offenses.

WPDPW CONDUCTING SEWER TESTS IN NEIGHBORHOODS THIS WEEK TO CHECK FOR UNAUTHORIZED WASTE OR ROGUE DRAINAGE ENTERING CITY SANITARY SEWERS SYSTEM

Posted on January 12, 2019 by John Bailey

WPCNR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS ADVISORY. From the Rosedale Residential Association. January 12, 2018:

Below is an informational email from Tracey Muhlfeld, Office of the Commissioner of Public Works for White Plains

Dear Respective Neighborhood Association Presidents and Co-Presidents:

On behalf of Commissioner Richard Hope, we would like to make you aware of work that will be taking place in various locations in your areas:

Beginning Monday, January 14th, the Department of Public Works will be conducting Smoke Testing in some of the public sanitary sewer lines in your neighborhoods. These tests will be done in one neighborhood at a time. I am attaching a list of streets, along with the test dates, for your convenience. The majority of these tests are for one day only.

The purpose of these smoke tests is to assure the integrity of our sewer lines and to determine if there are sources of water entering the lines either through direct connections (i.e. sump pumps or roof leaders) or through broken lines in the ground (i.e. the city’s sewer mains or homeowner service lines.)

Defective or illicit connections overload the sanitary sewer system and threaten the environment, as well as the operation of the County’s sewage treatment operations.

Attached is a direct link to the City of White Plains DPW Website with information regarding the testing.

In addition, I am attaching to this e-mail a copy of the door hanger, which residents will be given prior to their street testing; a letter from the Commissioner of Public Works detailing the project and also a pdf of the names of streets and dates of testing. All of these documents are linked on the website as well.

https://www.cityofwhiteplains.com/222/10155/Bureau-of-Water-Wastewater

https://www.cityofwhiteplains.com/DocumentCenter/View/4765/SSES-Year-1-Smoke-Testing-Public-Notification-Letter_01-09-2019

https://www.cityofwhiteplains.com/DocumentCenter/View/4766/Smoke-Test-Door-Hanger

https://www.cityofwhiteplains.com/DocumentCenter/View/4764/RoadsNeighborhoods-for-smoke-testing-2019

Thank you, once again, for working with the City of White Plains to help make our infrastructure as safe as possible.

Yours truly,

Tracey Muhlfeld
Office of the Commissioner of Public Works
City of White Plains

WHITE PLAINS WEEK ON THE BIOTECH BILLION DOLLAR DEAL ON YOUTUBE AND www.wpcommunitymedia.org and WWW.WHITEPLAINSWEEK.COM INSTANTLY!

Posted on January 11, 2019 by John Bailey