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

 City Sales Tax Revnues , according to WPCNR calculations rose 2.3%, from 2004-2005 to 2005-2006, from 40,929,781 to $41,886,267

The City’s 2006-2007 budget has projected $42.5 Million in sales tax for 06-07, relying on the injection of new Wal-Mart sales, for the increase.

Prior to the Mayor’s Revitalization Program for the city, sales tax collections stood at $35,787,758 at the end of the 2000-2001 fiscal year. After six years sales taxes have risen to the $41,886,267 level, or 17%. Sales tax receipts first increased substantially from the 2000-2001 doldrums (as a result of the redevelopment) in 2003-2004, climbing to $37.7 million.  

However, prices have risen 11% from the end of 2000 to the end of 2005, according to “The Inflation Calculator.” When the sales receipts are measured against inflation, and inflation is taken into account, the real increase in sales tax receipts  declines to 6%. If you were to attempt to purchase $6,098,509 of a list of goods in 2005, you bought in 2000 for $6,098,509 it  would take you $6,772,626 to purchase the same items.

It appears not to be that Redevelopment of the city has not helped revitalize the city’s economy, but its benefits have not been enough to match the explosion in city spending.

 In 2001-2002, the city budget was $97.8 Million. According to the published 2006-2007 budget, the city will spend $146.3 Million in 2006-2007, or $48.5 Million more than it spent in 2001-2002.

 The city budget has increased 49.6% in five years (2001-2002 to 2006-2007) against a cumulative inflation rate from 2002 through 2005 of 9.92% and an inflation rate since 2000 of 2.6%, a cumulative rate of  15.6%. The city has spent at more than three times the inflation rate.

The annual rates of inflation for 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 were 3.38%, 2.38%, 1.59%, 2.27%, 2.68% and 3.39% — an average of 2.6% each of those six years a cumulative rise in prices of  15.7%  The current rate of inflation for 2006 is 3.74%.

Viewed another away, redevelopment of White Plains has kept pace with the inflation of little more than 6% a year the last five years while city fiscal management has spent at a rate eight times the average rate of inflation.

WPCNR’S Amy Paulin’s Albany. From Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, 88th Assembly District. August 12, 2006: Assemblywoman Amy Paulin sponsored 23 bills that were passed by the State Legislature this year, putting her productivity in the top ten of all 150 members of the State Assembly. 
  

        Chief among Paulin’s successful efforts was her bill to eliminate the statute of limitations for rapists and sexual abusers. “With the reliability of DNA evidence, it was critical that we eliminate this loophole for rapists,” said Paulin,” Now the bad guys can be sent to jail, rather than get off because of the passage of time.” 

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        Another Paulin bill allows longer time limits for orders of protection issued to victims of domestic violence to protect them against abusive partners. “Orders of protection are the only shield some victims have against their abusers,” said Paulin, “This will allow them to better control their own lives and stop living in fear.”
 
        Spurred by shocking incidents in Westchester and New York City of children dying at the hands of abusive or neglectful parents, Paulin was able to pass legislation to improve documentation of such deaths so that better case review can be implemented to stop future incidents. “Nothing is more heartbreaking than an innocent child who dies because of abusive parents, and nothing is more serious than when the system fails to protect such children,” said Paulin, “My legislation will close some of the loopholes that have failed these victims in the past.”
 
Helping Schools and Libraries
 
        Paulin also succeeded in increasing school aid for local districts and in passing tax relief.
 
        Schools in Paulin’s district will receive $7 million more in operating and Pre-K funding than they did last year, plus another $7 million in grants for capital needs. “The people of my district pay a great deal in state taxes, and deserve a fair share of school aid in return,” said Paulin.
 
        In a related area Paulin voted to add $2.7 million in funding for the Westchester Library System.
 
        Paulin said that taxpayers also have a right to be assured their tax dollars are being spent well, which is why she supported an additional $2.8 million in the current state budget to increase Comptroller audits of local school systems.
 
Tax Relief
 
         “Skyrocketing property taxes are forcing people out of the state,” said Paulin, explaining why she made tax relief a focus of the 2006 legislative session. Among the successful measures she supported were eliminating the state sales tax on clothing and shoes under $110, capping the sales tax on gasoline, creating a $330 child tax credit for most families, and ending the marriage penalty in the state income tax.
 
        A centerpiece of this year’s tax relief agenda, said Paulin, was increasing the STAR property tax relief program. Westchester property tax payers will receive an average STAR rebate of $532 this fall, while seniors will receive an enhanced STAR rebate averaging $822. Eligible taxpayers will also receive a cost of living STAR adjustment of $373.
 
        Paulin was also active in her role as Chair of the Task Force on Disabilities and as a member of the Committee on Health.
 
        Paulin’s legislation that passed both houses of the Legislature ranged from requiring that dental health be checked in local schools, to making the New York Human Rights law consistent with the federal Americans with Disabilities law (ADA), to providing tax credits to taxi owners who make their vehicles accessible to the disabled.
 
Providing Open Government
 
        Finally, Paulin continued her effort in the 2006 legislative session to provide open government for the public. Among her bills was one that would strengthen the Freedom of Information Law by requiring increased access to electronic information compiled by government agencies. “So much data is stored on computers now, and we must bring the law into compliance with technology,” said Paulin. Although the Governor vetoed this bill, claiming it placed a burden on government, Paulin said she will work to overcome those objections and re-pass it next year.
 
        Paulin is also working to pass legislation that will require governments found guilty of violating the Open Meetings Law to pay the legal costs of those who successfully sue to gain access to information.
 
        “My job is to be effective in Albany and pass solutions to the problems that we face,” said Paulin, “That’s why I am gratified that 23 of my bills were passed by both houses of the Legislature. It indicates we can work in a bipartisan way to make progress and that the people are getting the active representation they deserve.”