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)

Council In Dark on Deficit. “I Read About It in The Journal News,” Says Boykin

Posted on February 4, 2009 by John Bailey

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. February 4, 2009: When Common Council President Benjamin Boykin opened up The Journal News this morning at 7:15 A.M., he was stunned to read “White Plains girds for shortfall,” and that “the shortfall will likely return when the year ends in five months and could pass $1 million,” and that “The Common council received Harwood’s (Gina Cuneo Harwood, Commissioner of Finance) news” of the deficit “late Monday.”

Asked if the Common Council was briefed personally on the city 6-month Interim Financial Report by Ms. Harwood before Monday evening’s Council meeting, Councilman Boykin said, “No!”

“The first I learned of the deficit was at 7:15 A.M. this morning when I read it in The Journal News. The council has not been briefed. I am appalled this article came out. People read this and they think we The Council were aware and we weren’t This is the first time I have heard of the city actually running a deficit.

Common Council President Benjamin Boykin — Objects to Closed Door, Uninformed Budgeting. Shown as he appeared on television at Monday evening’s Common Council meeting where no metion whatsoever was made of the city budget trends.

“This is a closed administration,” Boykin told WPCNR. “They want no dissent. Look how they just threw Milagros (Lecouna) off the Cable Commission. They don’t want ideas. You jeopardize your ability to operate efficiently when you work that way. I talked to Paul Wood (City Executive Officer) about today’s article and he suggested the article was referring to the Interim Financial Report (received Monday evening) as a briefing. But, there is no mention of any $1,000,000 deficit or budget projection in that report. ”

Boykin said the financial peril the city faces requires fast action and consideration by the Budget and Management Committee and the Council immediately. He said he had ideas, if the Mayor felt like asking and charged the Mayor with failing to make projections on where the budget would be.at the end of the fiscal year and what the outlook for next year given deteriorating conditions.

Boykin told WPCNR Monday morning that the Mayor had not consulted him or the Common Council on the city effort to cut $4 Million in expenses from the current budget. Boykin reminded WPCNR that on October 23, he had asked the mayor to convene the budget and management committee to attend that meeting to discuss budget cuts, and again at that October 23 he asked the Mayor about assembling the committee. “The Mayor said that’s my committee and I didn’t want to.” Boykin said at that October 23 meeting, the Mayor said, “He makes the budget decisions, not the Common Council.”

Asked if the Mayor had asked him or any of the Council for ideas on the present round of budget cuts, as yet undefined as to amount, and department-impact, Boykin said that no, “I have not been asked at all.” And that the council had not been asked or played any role in the internal budget cutting exercise that apparently is still going on under the direction of Acting Budget Director David Birdsall.

Boykin said the Budget and Management Committee has not met since last May, and saw an urgent need to bring them in early this year due to the deteriorating city economy:

“The economy nationally is in a signature meltdown. We in White Plains are in a very, very, ugly situation. Economic activity has essentially stopped. I was in front of Legal Seafood Monday evening and no cars were lined up for parking. Today at lunchtime, I saw very little activity on the streets.”

Asked if he had some approaches to the budget cutting process now and how the 2009-2010 budget should be formulated, Boykin said, “If he (The Mayor) asks, I’ve got some ideas.”

Boykin recalled that at that October 23 meeting, the Commissioner of Finance had assured the Common Council the city “was not in a crisis and the city was in good financial position.”

Boykin asked rhetorically, “What are the projections? I didn’t see any in that report. It was statistics up to a certain date and no more. There was no briefing.”

Council Moves Hotel Tax; BID Budget;$250G in Fire Reno;$191G in Certs;Hikes Rec

Posted on February 3, 2009 by John Bailey

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. February 3, 2009: In one of the shortest Common Council meetings of all time, lasting just 35 minutes, devoid of any drama, or commentary on the state of the city finances, the Council approved $250,000 in bonds for rehabilitation of fire houses; approved a $650,000 budget for the Downtown Business Improvement District); agreed to $190,043 in certiorari refunds to four condominium complexes in the city. It also approved new Department of Recreation and Parks fees for residents and non-resident use of city recreation facilities and activities for 2009-2010.

The meeting was interesting to note that no one on the council or the Mayor addressed the current city financial efforts to cut the current city budget, how much it was being cut, or when details of the cuts would be released. No mention was made of the recent Councilperson Rita Malmud announcing she would not run again. No comments were made on how the city is approaching the new 2009-2010 budget. The only person who mentioned the financial pressures the city faces was The Reverend Jacob Stukes of the Lonnie White Memorial Church of God in Christ who prayed that the Lord would help the city through these times in the Invocation.

The Council also voted to submit the city ¾% sales tax to the state legislature to renew the sales tax, and voted to submit a request for a hotel sales tax within the city limits to the legislature. A request to adjust the sales tax another ¼% as promoted previously by the Mayor within the last two weeks, was not part of the request.

Condominium Erosion in Value Begins to Impact Tax Roll.

Certiorari refunds of $98,447.90 were approved for Bryant Gardens covering 2005/2006, 2006/2007, 2007/08; and 2008/2009, with a total assessment reduction of $260,000. Parkview Condominiums was granted a $66,508.15 refund for tax years 04/05/, 05/06, 06/07, 07/08 and 08/09 and a $130,000 assessment reduction. Wesley House received a $21,935.85 refund for years 04/05,05/06, 06/07,07/08 and 08/09 and an assessment reduction of $51,500. Tanglewood Gardens received a $4,051.60 refund and a $14,000 lowering of their assessment.

The total of $190,943.50 in refunds will cost the White Plains City School District approximately $764,000 in refunds this year. (For every dollar the city refunds in property taxes, the School District has to refund 4 due to the higher school property tax assessment.)

City Assessor Lloyd Tasch told WPCNR today that the $455,000 in lowered assessment is currently reflected in the 2009-2010 Tax Roll, ($288.4 Million).

The creeping financial worry of more condominium certiorari filings on relatively moderate priced condos, reflects the slow and growing erosion of condominium prices locally.

Condominium Mean Sale Price in Westchester County in the 4^th quarter was down 12.2% from 2007 to an average $393,560, below the average price of $400,672 in the 4^th quarter of 2006, according to the Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service.

BID Sails On on a lower budget.

The counci approved a $650,000 budget for the Downtown Business Improvement District with no increase from last year.

The BID plan includes $303,793 in salary expenses; $176,000 in BID Services (to the city); and $90,000 is planned to be spent on programs to increase business in the downtown, including $60,000 for the New Years Eve Gala, $30,000 in the Taste of Downtown Food Festival.

The budget (including contributions) is down about $84,000 to $686,743, from the 2008-2009 budget of $770,730. It should be noted the BID is funded by assessments of member-businesses in the downtown.

The BID Services include Public Relations and Marketing that plans $18,000 in BID advertising; Meals, $3,000, Travel, $500; Meetings, $1,500; Dues and Subscriptions, $500; Printing, $5,000; Conference and seminars, $750.

The Clean Sweep program (crews sweeping streets) costs $132,000; Supplies for Clean Sweep, $20,000; Gumbusters (Gum machine operation), $7,000; and Green Machine street sweeper, $12,000. The monthly costs for the Clean Sweep program have been reduced by $48,000.

Albany Asked to Extend Sales Tax, Enact Hotel Occupancy Tax.

In approving the resolutions for the extension of the city’s 2-1/4% sales tax, the next step is for Assembly and State Senators representing the city to introduce the continuation of the home rule request in the state legislature to continue the sales tax for two years through 2011.

The approval of the resolution of the hotel tax, requests the legislature to enact a 3% hotel sales tax within the City of White Plains city limits, to December, 2012.

Fire house improvements infrastructure financing approved.

The $250,000 in fire house improvements include redoing the floor of one fire house, brick improvements and plumbing, energy efficiency upgrades, window and door replacement, waterproofing and site work. The improvements as described appear structural and not related to amenities.

Kensington Extend.

The council also extended for 60 days the period for due diligence on the Kensington senior living project adjacent the Lexington avenue Municipal Garage at the corner of Maple Avenue through March 31. Kensington is awaiting HUD guarantee of any loans and financing negotiated by Kensington for building of the $30 Million site. Financing as of this time has not been obtained by the Kensington group.

The council referred out a request by The Metropolitan, the planned condominium development at Maple and DeKalb avenues extending that approved site plan for another year.

Tim James and Jeane Garment were reappointed to the Library Board.

Rec Fees Advanced.

The Recreation and Parks fees raised rental fees for Delino and Gillie Parks 2-hour day rentals for out of town industrial and non-profit organizations to $375 and $350 respectively. Evening rentals remain the same for industrial out of town at $450 for two hours and non-profit out-of towns, $400. Resident groups pay $175 for a two-hour rental, the same as last year.

Secondary fields (Eastview, WPHS, Ridgeway, Ralph Ave., George Washington, Gardella and Battle Hills, rentals rose $10 an hour for residents, from $35 to $45 ($90 for the two-hour minimum); while non-resident not-profits pay $110 for 2 hours; Resident Industrial groups pay $220 for two hours, up $10 an hour), Non-resident Industrial Groups, $175; Not-for-Profit Out of Towners, $200, (up$20 an hour), and Industrial out of Town groups pay $240 for two hours, up $20 an hour.

There were also increases in bus transportaion for summer camp programs.

Hockley Requests $3,600 Pay Cut. Asks Rest of Council, NY Pols Do The Same.

Posted on February 2, 2009 by John Bailey

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. February 2, 2009: White Plains Councilman Glen Hockley voluntarily told Commissioner of Finance Gina Cuneo-Harwood today to cut the salary he is paid as Councilman 10%, in light of the hard times the city is facing. According to Commissioner Harwood, the $3,600 cut in pay would be reflected in the February 6 paycheck.

Hockley said in a news conference on the steps of City Hall that he hoped his action would inspire other politicians across the state and up to Albany, and the rest of the Common Council to do the same. He reported that no other city Councilperson has filed to cut their pay, even though he asked them to do so in December.

He also said that Councilman Tom Roach had agreed that the council should not have work sessions catered with sandwiches as another cost-cutting measure. Hockley also called on the city not to waste police time and expense delivering council agendas. The City Clerk’s office reported the city is sending the agendas by PDF file via e-mail.

Hockley submitted a letter (a “Personal Action Form”) to the Commissioner of Finance (Gina Cuneo-Harwood, sabove) this afternoon officially starting his request for a pay cut in action. He anticipates distributing it at this evening’s Common Council meeting.

Photograph of the Day

Posted on February 2, 2009 by John Bailey

WPCNR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DAY. February 2, 2009: The doomed Big Ball Park in the Bronx awaits the wrecker’s ball while the new Yankee Stadium, (at right) considerably more diminutive with upper decks set way back from the action, stand side by side in this view from a 757 winging west.

Your Tax Dollars at Work: Yankee Stadia — Old Yankee Stadium, left, and New Yankee Stadium, right, built with a lot of your tax dollars, from a Boeing 757 after LaGuardia takeoff. Photo by the WPCNR Roving Photographer.