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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. News & Comment By John F. Bailey. December 13, 2009: I spilled my coffee on the editorial page of the Journal News Sunday morning when I read the Editorial Board analysis of county legislators  Mike Kaplowitz , Ken Jenkins, Judy Meyers, John Nonna, Bill Burton  and Peter Harckham  $7.6Million cut on the budget the six announced last Wednesday, because they had learned just last week the county was in trouble financially.

 

The exact line in the editorial reads, “Kaplowitz said the group was spurred to act by the stark realization that there was a $45 Million tax hole – from overestimating sales tax revenue – in Spano’s Budget.”

 

Stark realization? Glory be!

 

Had Mr. Kaplowitz and his “Slashing Six” been doing any work the last five months, or been reading this website on a regular basis, they would have known this.

 

Or if they were at all concerned they could have called up the County Budget Director.  The County Department of Communications told this reporter in August that the county was monitoring the sales tax collections. Some monitoring.

 

Kind of like monitoring the Asian Carp getting into the Great Lakes?

 

Did we see any cutback in spending by the Spendo administration?

 

Did we hear any talk from the Slashing Six about, hey Andy, maybe we should cut a little?

 

In August,  this website published the mid-year figures from the Department of  Taxation and Finance, and we did so again in September. In September the deficit projected at $60 Million if the November, December period did not perform well ahead of last year. After seven months, county sales tax was running 12.5% below the 2008 pace, a $38 Million shortfall, if the trend continued.  In September it compounded to a $60 Million deficit, on projected revenues of $478.2 Million (see http://www.wpcnr.com/article7642.html).

 

 

Now that’s just using simple baseball statistics. What do these clowns do all day at the Michaelian Building anyway? Monitoring. Are you kidding me?

 

They were asleep at the wheel. They were budgeting  “BUI” (Budgeting Under the Influence of Cashohol.) They should have their budgeting license revoked.

 

Any group of fools could run a county $45 Million in the red. There are a lot of them in Albany who are so smart they have run the state into a $3.2 Billion deficit.

 

Since the county budget is about to be voted on in a few hours, I suggest this Kaplowitz-Jenkins, Meyers, Nonna,Burton, Harckham thing is a face-saving ploy so that these six legislators can say they were for budget-cutting, and attempted to cut the budget next time they run. I am so sorry I skipped this news conference.

 

If I were a real cynical reporter, and  the fact that the six legislators had the nerve to say this deficit was a surprise, is an insult to every person in the county, not employed by county government.

 

I would say this is just pre-2011 election posturing positioning by these six persons. They take the cost-cutting position, and let the rest of their legislators carry the ball and pass the budget as is.

 

But the $7.6 Million cut still will kill the taxpayer with pretty much the same tax increase because these axe-wielders are cutting the budget by  POINT 4% — less than a half percent cut!

 

I want that to sink in, folks.

 

The KJMNBH  $7.6 Million budget cuts amount to POINT 4% LESS than a HALF percent cut in the budget.

 

Boy you can call these guys real slashers!

 

This, by the way is about half what the county paid for the Saw Mill River Road warehouse to pay for housing election machines.

 

This is cost-cutting? We have a lot to look forward to.

 

Your legislators have shown once again the contempt they show for the people they govern by this grandstand play.

 

What is even more laughable, is County Legislator Board Chair Ryan’s statement that, according to the Journal News quoting Mr. Ryan,  the Kaplowitz team play was decribed by Bill Ryan as  “this is a long laundry list of management cuts put forth without analysis and no indication as to whether or not it will improve government or not.”

 

Analysis? The county analyze? 

 

Usually it’s how does this benefit our supporters is the only analysis they do.

 

Improve government? Now that’s a concept!

 

What might improve government for starters both in the County Legislature and the White Plains City Council is paying attention.

 

Not just showing up and jawboning and wringing hands when the tax dollars have already been spent, and more to the point the statistics foreshadowing the budget hole have been right there in your face for the last six months, ladies and gentlemen.

 

Someone should have told Andy.

 

This is incompetent government.

 

Now, just suppose the $7.6 Million proposal of  Kaplowitz, Meyers, Nonna, Burton and Harckham goes through. They now can claim the mantle of budgeteers and will be reminding you all of this in 2011 when you go to the polls to vote for them again!

 

They are on-record as opposing Mr. Ryan, and are betting this will position them as in favor of efficient spending cuts. (That’s mighty strong political hay with a ½% budget cut.)

 

Honestly, we pay these guys for this kind of performance?

 

Where were they six months ago?

 

They  could have been calling on Andy Spendo to cut the budget.

 

But, they could not conceive that Uncle Andy would lose the election, and certainly didn’t want to get Andy mad at them. So they said nothing.

 

Now they’re worried.

 

Where are they going to be six months from now?

 

They will be fighting for all those services their supporters want, protecting them from County Executive Rob Astorino’s “draconian” “stark” budget cuts, and crossing their fingers that the “recovery” is strong.

 

What a job they have, and it’s only part-time.

 

It would be nice if they worked part of that part-time, wouldn’t it?

 

 

Perhaps make a phone call once in a while and say, hey Andy, how is the sales tax going?

 

Ya think?

 

 

WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. Letter from The Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities. December 11, 2009: The Commissioner of the OMRD has forwarded a letter to service organizations claiming that only $1 Million of some  $35 Million in Governor Paterson’s cuts will directly affect services. Here is the text of that letter:

I want to take this opportunity to update you on OMRDD’s Deficit Reduction Plan (DRP) which is required in accordance with budget-related Legislation that was passed on December 2, 2009.  The actions called for in this DRP are expected to generate current year State fund savings of $2.7 billion, of which the OMRDD “Aid to Localities” share is estimated to be approximately $35 million.  

After receiving input from various stakeholders and being given the flexibility on how best to achieve these savings, OMRDD developed and submitted its DRP for approval on December 7, 2009.  Our plan was approved within 24 hours and is now in the implementation stage.

While reductions of any kind are difficult, I am pleased with the fact that our plan has the potential to only have a minimal impact on current services being provided to people with developmental disabilities.  Of the $35 million reduction in the current year, only about $1 million will result in a reduction of funding to providers of service. This 10% reduction in spending in this specific area may impact workshop, day training and other services funded through contracts with OMRDD or the Counties.

 (Continued)

I want you to know that my goal remains the same as it has been through all of our budget struggles, and that is first, and most importantly, to minimize impact on direct services to the people we support and serve and to maintain the services they are currently receiving.  The remaining $34 million in savings will be achieved through natural delays in spending and cash management strategies that will not impact payments to providers.

The Governor has made it clear that the actions taken by the Legislature still fall short of the $3.2 billion needed to fill the current-year gap by $500 million.  So far, approximately $30 million in additional savings has been assigned to OMRDD to help close this gap. Again, OMRDD was given the flexibility to manage this additional reduction and as a result will be able to do so without reducing payments to providers which could have impacted current services.

In summary, OMRDD has been given a current fiscal year savings target of approximately $65 million of which only about $1 million has the potential to impact current services.  In addition to minimizing the potential impact on current services, our DRP does not change my commitments for current projects or new services.

While this is extraordinarily good news for the current State fiscal year, we remain very guarded. The Governor had previously projected a two-year, $10 billion gap, and we still don’t know the impact of these current year actions on next year’s budget.  Obviously, we still have a long way to go.

Thanks again to all who helped inform our thinking and decision-making throughout this arduous and nerve-racking process.  The partnership that OMRDD has with you, families, individuals with developmental disabilities and providers must remain strong especially in these strident times. All of us will need to continue our advocacy as we move into the next budget cycle, to do what is right in support of the people with developmental disabilities that we serve and those in need of services.

 

Sincerely,

 

Diana Jones Ritter

Commissioner