THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. Special to WPCNR by Westchester County Roving Correspondent Nancy King. December 9, 2011:

Nancy King

After tense negotiations that lasted for 15 hours, the Westchester County Board of Legislators and County Executive Rob Astorino and his team arrived at a budget compromise that saved 187 jobs, restored cuts to community health care centers and left nature centers and their programs intact. 

The vote taken shortly before 2am was 16 for the budget and legislator Marty Rogowsky voting against it.  Rogowsky, who will be leaving the board at the end of the month voted against the budget last year as well.  

The board approved a $548.4 million dollar tax levy which will mean the taxpayers of Westchester will not see an increase in their property tax bill for the second year in a row. 

In a News Release from the County after the news conference, Mr. Astorino is reported as saying  he would most likely line veto the restoration of the current day care rates and the neighborhood centers.

In addition to nature centers, and health centers, the board also restored funding to the Cornell Cooperative Extension, Arts Westchester, legal aid, the Westchester County Probation Department, eviction and homeless prevention programs and food banks.

According to legislators Pete Harkham and Chairman Ken Jenkins, this budget was passed without having to dip into the fund balance. The legislators’ both explained that the money came primarily from the Department of Social Services which underspent their budget last year.

This morning, County Executive Rob Astorino  in a press conference, admitted that negotiating this budget was indeed difficult and that he will more than likely be vetoing certain line items, without saying what..

A news release from the Department of Communications Friday afternoon reports that Mr. Astorino plans at least two vetos of line items– neighborhood centers and restoration of the county day care rate:

“The county executive said he is likely to veto the addition by the board of $1.9 million for three neighborhood health centers and changes to the day care subsidy program. Astorino has argued that the health centers, which provide non-mandated services, run at a profit without county subsidy, noting that their executive directors earn combined salaries of more than $1 million. He had questioned the merit of giving these outside agencies money while the county’s own Department of Health was facing cuts.

            As to day care, he has proposed increasing the parent contribution to 35 percent for non-mandated day care, the same amount paid by parents in New York City and many other New York counties. This would increase the number of families that would be able to receive aid by 600.

He re-iterated that he was disappointed with CSEA in the fact that he perceives that they are unwilling to negotiate the terms of their upcoming contract negotiations. Astorino has been asking for union members to begin contributing to their health care and pension benefits.

Astorino also did not address the issue of placing workers who appear to have received jobs as patronage favors. CSEA Vice-President Manu read a short list at Tuesday’s public hearing at the County Center. Union officials are concerned that these workers have been placed in positions without having to apply for and take the civil service examination. CSEA workers believe that those patronage positions should be eliminated first before their own members are laid off.

Astorino did not however address the issues of having sales tax revenue which was larger than he earlier anticipated, leaving many taxpayers to wonder if the financial health of Westchester County is not as dire as the County Executive would like us to believe.

 This budget is last one where the CE will have to deal with a supermajority of Democrats on the legislative board. It remains to be seen whether or not the next  year will be more productive for the Astorino administration. After January 1^st, there will now be 7 Republicans sitting on the County Board.

Westchester taxpayers however will see little or no change in their upcoming tax bill. Westchester County taxes make up only 20% of the average tax bill. Local school taxes are usually around 65% of the average tax bill and have steadily increased over the years.

WPCNR MR. AND MRS. AND MS. WHITE PLAINS POLL. December 9,2011:

In four days this week Governor Cuomo presented the New York State legislature with a sweeping overhaul of New York State Tax rates, creating tax cuts for all income levels.

If you earn net income from $40,000 to $150,000, your tax rate declines from 6.85% to 6.45%

If you earn $150,000 to $300,000, tax rate declines from 6.85% to 6.65%.

If you earn $300,000 to $2 Million ($1 Million if a single taxpayer), your tax rate declines from 7.85% to 8.97% down to 6.85% ( a full 1 %)

If you earn over $2 Million your current tax rate of 8.97% declines to 8.82%.

So the question is how are you going to use this windfall, Mr. and Mrs. White Plains. I thought of a few possibilities the windfall can be used for at the right.