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)

IF YOU KNOW SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING ON “TIP411”– THE D.A. COUNTY WIDE CONFIDENTIAL TIPLINE

Posted on November 13, 2014 by John Bailey

WPCNR D.A. REPORT. From the Westchester County District Attoreney. November 13, 2014:

WestchesterCounty law enforcement is launching an anonymous web tip program – tip411 – that will allow anyone with either a Smartphone, Tablet, standard cell phone or computer to text in a tip to their local police department.

The Westchester County Crime Tips app is available for both Android and iPhone devices and will enable the public to send anonymous tips to their local police department with the police able to respond back, creating a two way anonymous “chat”.

“This program puts a powerful new crime fighting tool into the hands of our community. Law enforcement must continue to be forward thinking, and embracing the way many people communicate today, adds to the way that everyone, especially the younger age demographic, can contact police. The system allows citizens to report on a crime without having to say a word, providing an unprecedented anywhere, anytime, silent, and anonymous approach to crime reporting,” said District Attorney Janet DiFiore.

The software was developed by CitizenObserver, a St. PaulMinnesota company, that provides web based alerting tools to local state and federal law enforcement and public safety agencies in over 40 states.

In WestchesterCounty, the vast majority, 37 of the 42 police agencies will be participating in this web tip program.

The app is available on the iTunes Store at: WC Crimetips

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wc-crimetips/id912443578

And on the Google Play Store at: WC Crimetips

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.citizenobserver.wccrimetips

You can also go to the Westchester County Crime Tips Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/WestchesterCrimeTips to submit a tip and download the app.

The Yonkers Police Department has been successfully using the CitizenObserver System for the last 4 years. The White Plains Department of Public Safety also has a city TIPLINE.

The way the new interactive social media system works is by texting your local police department’s – keyword – and your – tip – to 847411 (tip411).

What tip411 does:

Protects the anonymity of the sender by assigning a six-digit code with numbers and letters.
The technology removes all identifying information before the police department sees it so there’s no way to identify the sender.
Messages can be responded to in real time creating an instant two-way live “chat”.
It allows you to text photos and/or video.
Since police are familiar with the local area they know the best questions to ask.
It allows the public to text information about drug activity, other suspicious or criminal activity people with outstanding warrants and cold cases.
If it’s an active case, the tip is treated as one piece of information and detectives do other work to verify the validity of the tip.
Tips stored on redundant servers in different locations nationwide that are managed by the vendor.

What tip411 doesn’t do:

It doesn’t track the identity of the tipster.
It is not a substitute for calling 911. If you need police or other emergency responders you still should call 911.
It does not retain data after the tipster completes the “chat”.

“Fighting crime needs the support of all members of the community. Giving the public the ability to anonymously communicate with the police will hopefully give people who would not normally come forward with crime tips the ability to do so. With tight operating budgets, having the support of the District Attorney to make this program available to Westchester Law Enforcement is outstanding,” said Chief Gregory Austin, Rye Brook Police Department and President of the Westchester County Chiefs of Police Association.

“Over the last few years, Tip 411 has been proven to be an invaluable method for our department to receive anonymous tips ranging from narcotics activity, wanted persons, and gang intelligence. Members of the public can send us these tips without the fear of reprisal and we can receive instantaneous feedback from the tipster if we have any follow up questions. We look forward to the rest of the county using this great tool,” said Commissioner Charles Gardner, Yonkers Police Department.

The police departments in WestchesterCounty that are participating in the program are:

Ardsley Village Police Department
Bedford Town Police Department
Briarcliff Manor Village Police Department
Bronxille Village Police Department
Buchanan Village Police Department
Croton on Hudson Police Department
Dobbs Ferry Village Police Department
Eastchester Town Police Department
Elmsford Village Police Department
Greenburgh Police Department
Harrison Police Department
Hastings Village Police Department
Irvington Village Police Department
Larchmont Village Police Department
Mamaroneck Town Police Department
Mamaroneck Village Police Department
Mount Pleasant Police Department
Mount Vernon City Police Department
New Castle Town Police Department
New Rochelle City Police Department
North Castle Police Department
Ossining Village Police Department
Peekskill City Police Department
Pelham Manor Village Police Department
Pelham Village Police Department
Pleasantville Village Police Department
Port Chester Village Police Department
Pound Ridge Town Police Department
Rye Brook Police Department
Scarsdale Village Police Department
Sleepy Hollow Village Police Department
SUNY Purchase College
Tarrytown Village Police Department
Tuckahoe Village Police Department
Westchester County Department of Public Safety
Yonkers Police department
Yorktown Police Department

Funding for the program comes through asset forfeiture funds.

PEOPLE TO BE HEARD TONIGHT 8 PM –NEW NIGHT NEW TIME– NEW COUNCILWOMAN!

Posted on November 12, 2014 by John Bailey

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School Board Votes Thousands in State Property Tax Exemptions for Veterans. Apply by Dec.1 to Assessor for Tax Relief on your 2015-16

Posted on November 11, 2014 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. November 11, 2014:

On the night before Armistice Day, Veterans Day, the School Board voted to allow additional property tax exemptions for military veterans of up to $12,000, an additional $8,000 for combat zone participants, and in addition to the first two property tax reliefs, up to $40,000 more (multiplied by the equalization rate) if you are a disabled veteran.

The School Board voted unanimously Monday to allow these exemptions on 2015-2016 School Taxes.

According to the School District the Alternative Veterans’ Exemption is not an automatic exemption. A White Plains Veteran must apply with Lloyd Tasch, the White Plains City Assessor by the taxable status date of December 1 and provide the required proof.

White Plains Veterans are urged to inquire with the Assessors Office to investigate what they need to prove eligible for these exemptions.

If the veteran has not already applied for the exemption and already has one through the Assessors Office, the Application for Exemption must be made by the owner or all the home owners on a form prescribed by the Commissioner of Taxation.

For information, the White Plains City Assessor’s Office may be reached at 422-1223, ask for Lloyd, tell them the CitizeNetReporter sent you.

Fred Seiler, Assistant Superintendent for Business for the City School District told WPCNR he expect the exemptions would cost the School District $300,000 in tax dollars, and the maximum it would cost an individual taxpayer taking up the dollar slack was $12.

The state will not reimburse the school district for the exemption.

All maximums are subject to be multiplied by the tax equalization rate and the actual amount is whatever is less

School Board unanimously Approves Settlement/Contract with White Plains Teachers.

Posted on November 11, 2014 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. November 11, 2014:

White Plains Teachers and the White Plains Board of Education now have a 5 year contract bringing labor peace to the school district through 2016-2017.

The contract was approved unanimously by the School Board last night. It retains the policy of step increases for longevity, and progress on education degrees the first 20 years of service and grants a 1% across the board raise in 1015-16 and another 1/2 % increase in 2016-17.

Teachers do not receive retroactive raises for 2013-2014 and 2014-15 this year, because according to the Taylor Law they were paid under the terms of the former contract requiring automatic step and lane increases during expired contractual periods (guaranteed by the Triborough Amendment to the Taylor Law.

However Teachers who had 20 years of service at the end of the last contract get a makeup payment of $750 and a $750 raise added in the first six months of 2015 plus $600 added to their 20^th year in 2015-16 and 16-17.the last two years provide catch-up raises of $750 added to Step 2 for teachers who did not receive step or lane increases the first two years of the new contract (2012-13, 2013-14)

The contract in White Plains often looked at by other school districts as a bellweather..also obtained agreement by the teachers to pay 13%of their medical benefits in 2016-17. They presently pay 10-1/2 %.

The Interim Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors told me the new contract over the next two years costs the School District only ½% more next year and ¼% More in 2016-17 than what the district would pay under Taylor Law if they continued the labor negotiations.

The teachers agreed with the School District that all teachers would accept the statewide SWSCHP (Southern Westchester Schools Consortium Health Plan). The effect of this acceptance of SWSCHIP by the teachers increases teacher out-of-pocket teacher medical payments 8% by 2016-17, but decreases School District health premiums because teachers no longer have the option of Oxford and HIP health plans.

The School District will pay $2,574.24 ($9.753.60 premium per teacher total under SWSCHP) than Oxford less for a Single Person Health Plan, though and $108 more than HIP for that Single Person Plan.

The district pays $5,432.28 less (paying $20,579.64 total premium per teacher under SWSCHP) for a 2-Person Plan than they would pay Oxford for a 2-person plan. The district SWSCHP plan for 2 persons costs $2,967.72 MORE than the HIP 2-Person Plan, however.

The advantage to SWSCHP is clear in the Family Plan that affects the higher salaried presumably older-in-age teachers. Under the SWSCHIP plan the White Plains schools will save $5,889.84 (paying $21,847.68 in total premiums per teacher), compared to $27,737.52 total premium per teacher for a Family Plan that Oxford charges the district and $28,038.36 that HIP charges for a Family Plan. HIP premium for a family plan is $28,038.36 (District on SWSCHP saves $6,190.68 over the HIP Family Premium.

The increases in salary the teachers agreed to in 2015-16 and 2016-17, net teachers little more than a $1,000 in net salary increase before taxes because of the increase in medical health premium teacher share to 13%.

The pay increase of the average teacher in White Plains, with ten years of Service who is earning $94,480 before the 1% increase in salary in 2015-16 and the ½% scheduled to go up in salary to the $102,909 level in the fifth year of the new contract nets that teacher when you deduct their share of the Family Plan premium of $3,472 gets a Pre-Tax Salary of $99,437.

The Family Plan Premium share increase whittles a 9%, $8,429 pay increase in two years( from $94,480 to $102,9090) to a 5.2% Pay increase to $99,437, with a net actual pay increase of $4,957 over the final two years of the contract. The 1-1/2% raise over the next two years is whittled way significantly by taxes, inflation, and the increased insurance premium

The teachers accepted a contract keeping the rate of salary growth very close to what the Triborough Law would have continued to give them. The new contract will cost the school district ½ percent more than what the Triborough Law automatic increases would have cost the district in 2015-16, and ¼% more than Triborough in 2016-17 had the teachers decided to continue their discontent.

The final year of the contract,2016-17 nets that teacher on a Family Plan scheduled to make $102,909 in 2015-16, $2,963. Basically the raises teachers receive in the new contract pay for the increased health premium and leave them only with an approximate $1,000 net increase after taxes. The District saves $3,000 in premiums on a Single Plan and $6,000 on 2-person and Family Plans.