WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-NIGHT-LEDGER. By John F. Bailey. January 10, 2003, UPDATED 6 P.M. E.S.T.: County Executive Andy Spano held a wide open “Ask me Anything” news conference on the budget Thursday with area reporters, and said he would be reaching out to all Westchester legislators in the next three weeks, Assemblypersons and State Senators, personally to work with them to solve the state mandates problem creatively and the need for a Westchester 1% sales tax hike. He will begin with a conference with Senate Majority Leader, Joseph Bruno on Monday.
COUNTY EXECUTIVE ANDY SPANO spoke very briefly about his reactions and impressions of the legislature’s mood and Governor Pataki’s State-of-the-State Address Thursday, then opened the floor to budget questions from the media. On Friday afternoon, Executive Spano released a statement reacting to the just released Witt Report mentioned in this article. The Witt Report, sharply critical of the Indian Point Evacuation Plan now in place, may be viewed and commented on directly via e-mail to Witt Associates up until early February at http://wittassociates.com/projects_NYdesc.html
Photo by WPCNR News
Late Friday afternoon, in response to the released of the Witt Report, Mr. Spano talks about later in this article, Mr. Spano made these comments:
“This is the first time we have had an independent, comprehensive review of this plan, and we welcome it. Based on the briefing, we agree with many of the observations that were made,’’ said Spano. “We have already been working to improve the plan as an interim step until we can get the plant closed.”
“It’s unfortunate that the Witt report did not include any of the improvements we have made to the plan since Sept. 11, 2001. But we were encouraged to see that the report confirms that we have done what was required of us, but that the exercise developed by the state and FEMA to test the plan needs to change. We would agree with that.’’
Spano added, “The release of this report is the best thing that could have happened. Now efforts will focus on improving the plan until Indian Point can be closed and we will get more state and federal assistance with a situation that is really a matter of national security, not just a local issue.’’
News Conference of Thursday Analyzed Budget Situation
WPCNR asked the county chief executive if he had been assured of support by any Westchester Assemblypersons for his request for a 1% sales tax to avoid an increase in the county property tax, and he said not as of yet, but that he would be making personal overtures and having discussions with them to win their support for the critical increase within the next three weeks.
Need Sales Tax 1 per-center now.
Spano pointed out the dilemma the Westchester delegation faces: all sales taxes are usually automatically passed in an omnibus bill for all counties and cities in the state later in the budget year. The problem, he said is that Westchester needs its key 1% increase in the sales tax within the next three months to avoid the property tax hike in the county’s contingency budget. Spano’s unspoken implication was clear: the 1% sales tax request will have be championed, lobbied for, and presented artfully and quickly by the Westchester delegation or it will arrive too late to achieve its purpose: balancing the county budget.
Says people back the 1% Sales Tax 3 to 1
Spano noted that the sales tax increase of 1% appeared to be preferred 3 to 1, based on his information, since 25% of the sales tax increase would be paid by persons who are not residents of Westchester. He said a sales tax was not as hard on the poor, since it would not apply in the poorest areas of Westchester, the six cities, as opposed to an increase in the property tax which targets every homeowner and business.
Medicaid costs of caring for Children With Disabilities drive Mandated Costs Higher – doubling in 5 years
Adam Stone of the North County News asked specifically what was causing the state-mandated portion of the Medicaid budget to rise. Spano said it was the mandates to care for early education and county transportation of Children With Disabilities from ages birth to 5. He noted that the county is mandated by the state to pay for the education and the transportation of these children, for “Early Intervention,” ages 0 to 3, and “Pre-K,” ages 4 to 5.
Supports It. Does Not Want to Cut It. Asks to “Cap Medicaid Now.”
Spano said he was not for reducing or cutting the childrens’ programs. He said they were good programs. Instead, he and his 18 other New York County Executives want the present county shares (which in Westchester is $48 Million a year), capped at their present levels, with the state picking up the increases in coming years. When Spano took office in 1997 the amount for Childrens’ Disabilities that the county paid was $24 Million. The entire cost of paying for services for these children in Westchester has gone from $54 Million in 1997 to $110 Million today. The county pays $48 Million of that $110 Million.
County Executives in a Dilemma: Albany Needs to Hear Them.
Spano described the county executives he met with Thursday as in a dilemma. They are angry about these mandates forced on them, and they do not know what they can do about it. Spano told reporters that the counties are familiar with their problems, they know the effects the state mandates have on their budgets, and Albany needs to talk to the county executives, listen and work cooperatively:
“We understand what the problems are (in Albany). We just want to work them out.” Spano said. He said that capping automatic state increases in mandated programs in the future was going to be a major thrust on the part of the New York county executives.
COUNTY EXECS CAMPAIGN AGAINST MANDATES: At the outset of the Hour, Spano displayed a button being handed out by one County Executive, reading “Cap Medicaid Now.”
Photo by WPCNR
Indian Point Red Herring.
A television reporter from News 4, within minutes after Executive Spano’s opening remarks, aggressively turned discussion billed as to be limited to the budget to the Indian Point matter of releasing the Witt report on the County’s Emergency evacuation plan for the Entergy nuclear power plant in Buchanan.
Spano pointed out to the reporter that the county does not “certify” anything. He said the county simply confirms to the state that it has put in place emergency procedures required to be developed by the state. Spano said it did not have to have its emergency procedures be approved or “certified” in any way.
When pressed by the reporter, Spano said this was not a “certification process” and indicated it was a checklist and not an analysis.
When the reporter continued to press the point, Spano said that organizations are using the Witt report that is with Governor Pataki and the county’s emergency plan as simply “a way to get the state to close the plant, and that’s not going to happen,” snapped Spano.
Witt did not work with the county officials to prepare his report.
The County Executive said he thought the county plan was “a great plan,” but that he is going to work to improve it.
Susan Tolchin, Spano’s Chief Advisor, noted that Mr. Witt, the former FEMA chief, who was preparing the report had never sat down with the county officials to review aspects of the emergency plan with them. Spano said he looked forward to doing that with Witt in the future.
Pataki Speech Short on Specifics
Executive Spano said, when asked what he thought of Governor Pataki’s State of the State Address Wednesday , “He did the best he could, but I would have liked to have seen more specifics on what he is going to cut.”
“The Andy Spano Hour” ended after 35 minutes, when reporters could not think of any more questions to ask, but the County Executive was ready for more.
In his very brief opening remarks, Executive Spano noted that the state faced a $2 Billion deficit in this present year 2002…and a $10 Billion deficit for the 2003 year. He remarked that he did not expect Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York to get his commuter tax.
Photo by WPCNR
