D.A. Office Accuses Bradley of Witness Tampering, Harassment, Contempt

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. April 8, 2010: The District Attorney’s Office today confirmed it has charged Mayor Adam Bradley of White Plains with three new charges relating to the Mayor’s ongoing court matter with his wife, Fumiko:


The charges are Contempt in the Second Degree, Tampering with a Witness in the Fourth Degree, and Harassment in the Second Degree based on alleged actions Mr. Bradley was reported to have participated in between March 5,  and April 2 in interaction with his wife, Fumiko, at Mr. Bradley’s home, 3 Fernwood Road, and other locations.


The Mayor was reported arrested at City Hall by investigators from the District Attorney’s Office. He was arraigned at 3 P.M. in city court and released in his own recognisance, the District Attorney’s Office reported.


A spokesperson for the D.A.’s Office, Lucian Chalfen said it had not been determined yet whether Mr. Bradley would be tried separately on these new charges.


 

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Castelli Bill Brings 1/4% More Sales Tax $$ for City Wouldn’t Raise Sales Tax

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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From Assemblyman Robert Castelli’s Office. (EDITED) April 8, 2010: Instead of raising the sales tax to 8-1/2% in White Plains in the midst of an economic downturn, Assemblyman Castelli has sponsored Assembly bill 10185, which would transfer approximately one-quarter of one percent of the state’s sales tax share directly to the city of White Plains, increasing the city’s share to two-and-a-half percent, and placing it on par with other large cities in southern Westchester County, without raising the sales tax in White Plains.


Castelli said his plan ends after two years, preventing the need to increase the sales tax while providing needed revenue to the city, and would add to the cities revenue at least $4.3 million for each of the two years it would apply.


Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Castelli told WPCNR is sponsoring a similar bill which does raise the sales tax perpetually. Castelli said he offered his bill as an alternative to raising taxes on persons living in White Plains and his district. Asked by WPCNR if that was not setting a precedent, (the state dedicating its share of sales tax receipts to a municipality on request), Castelli said he admitted that might be a reason not to support the bill, but he saw it as a way of not raising taxes, and not being perpetual.


Castelli said both his and Ms. Paulin’s bills were going to committee. He said he did not think, being a Republican, that his bill would be reported out of committee, but it was an alternative. He said Ms. Paulin had “graciously invited me to join-sponsor her home rule measure for White Plains, but I thought this was an out of the box alternative.”


 
 
    


The Mayor’s Office in White Plains was contacted to see if they supported Mr. Castelli’s measure and have not returned the query as yet.
      “This legislation is the type of out-of-the box thinking New York taxpayers need.  My plan does not use regressive sales tax to help balance the budget or place an additional burden on homeowners.  What it does is change share of sales tax percentage to ensure that White Plains gets its fair share of funding from the State,” Castelli said.  “It’s a win-win situation.”    
 
            “During these troubling economic times, local governments should not be seeking to increase the property tax levy or the sales tax levy, especially in one of the state’s most populous and economically important cities,” Castelli said.   “Instead, the state should help absorb the financial shortfall during these challenging economic times.”
 
           The legislation would not affect the state budget deficit because it’s generated from revenues that have not been collected on sales that have not taken place, Castelli added. 

            “It is critical to the vitality of the downstate economy that the state does its part to further assist the city of White Plains during the fiscal crisis,” Castelli said.  “By slightly altering the sales tax formula, we can avoid a painful tax increase and provide needed revenue to our local governments.”  
 

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How Would You Cut the 19% Property Increase?

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WPCNR MR. & MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS VOICE. April 7, 2010: Yours truly, has received e-mails, been stopped on the street, and in stores by citizens shocked, shocked at the 19% property tax increase. Even the Common Council, four of whom (Mr. Boykin, Ms. Lecouna, Mr. Roach, Mr. Power) have passed the budgets that have lead to the present budget crisis, is shocked, shocked there is such an historic tax increase. Now the Council and the Mayor are going to “work together” on the budget. What would Mr. and Mrs. White Plains do?


Select from the choices at the right, below are explanations of each suggestion. If you have some, let us know:


 


 


 


Cut Garbage, Recycling, Leaf Pick ups – When suggestions like this were floated last August, the ire of White Plains citizens rose as one when they were asked to bag leaves. But, what if garabage pick up was cut to once a week, and recycling forced to be taken to the city dump? Would this save gas, truck crews, etc.? Sharpen your pencils, let’s find out! Better yet, let’s bring in the carting companies and dump the garbage pickup altogether.


 


Cut Recreation and Parks Programs – A tough choice, I know. But at least raise fees more than they have already so the city makes more money on them. And, let’s dump the programs that are money losers. If people do not use them, why are we running them? Fees for field use should also be raised substantially more than they have for organizations renting the fields, including ones that use the fields free.


 


Close, Curtail the Public Library – A sacred and luxurious cow. How can the city justify $5.3 million – when there are 9 libraries in the 9 school buildings to serve children’s needs – in this budget nightmare?  The public library might be spun off as a self-liquidating fund much like the new administration’s ingenious sewer rent to take the sewer expenditures ($770,000) off the new budget. How they create the fee mechanism that would take it off the books is another matter. That has to be seriously looked at. The library with the advent of the internet is an anachronism. It takes no time at all to find info on the net. You waste incredible time going and finding a book in the labyrinths of the library. Research needs for children are provided at the school system, including computer labs. I know people use it, but it costs the city $5.3 Million a year to run , 18 and a half times the cost of running the Slater Center which caters to a vastly more fragile population.  Am I crazy?


 


Halt Capital Expenditures for One Year – in the budget capital expenditures spending around $8 million in loans, $275,000 cash out of the general fund are called for. Could they be delayed a year? Could the whole capital program really be analyzed hard to see if things are really needed? Probably, yes they are, but the Common Council is always told capital projects are needed.


 


Institute a Wage Cut of 10% —  The salaries the city pays in the proposed budget total $76,000,000. If a 10% cut is instituted across the board this would save the city $7.6 Million. Is it possible? What’s involved here?


 


Lay off 100 Employees – The tax increase would be wiped out or at least cut back to manageable size by wholesale layoffs, when you figure benefits and salaries, one hundred layoffs would probably save about $10 Million at the very least.More than enough to replenish the fund balance in one year. It might curtail services, though. City needs to look at combinations of layoffs to see what’s possible.


 


Rezone Overcrowded Housing to raise money from scofflaw Landlords – Fines have not worked; inspections have not worked, but you could solve the city alleged illegal residents’ problem by creating new zoning that would legalize new capacities for residences now overpopulated, but make them subject to weekly inspections. To pay for the inspections and regular official surveillance (something the city is supposed to be doing now, but does not do so effectively – otherwise there would be no overcrowded illegal housing, would there?), owners of these newly legalized buildings would pay through the nose for housing persons unsafely, which would be corrected and profiteering would not be profitable any more. It would be interesting to see how much property tax increase could be defrayed if landlords paid surcharges on what they really made on these scurrilous gold mines that bleed the veins of the poor and the hopeful.


 


Institute Stiff New Certiorari Filing Fee – The real reason the city is in such financial trouble is certioraris filed by property owners in the commercial sector. If their properties are so unprofitable that they are over accessed, they should sell them. However, the city could with a little legal creativity make it very capital intensive for future certiorarists – hit them with a massive certiorari filing fee with the city to defray the city costs of analysis of the certiorari and a full forensic accounting audit of the certiorarists’ books.  The city has never to this reporter’s knowledge forensic-ed any certiorari’s books. I’d say a nice tidy fee of $1,000,000 fee paid up front to cover the cost of a foresenic audit would be nice just for starters. Consider it certiorari “bail.” Make them pay, it might discourage future certs. Better yet, pass a law that any property owner filing certioraris for past year would have to pay the cost of a forensic audit of their books by a private accounting firm supplied by the city.


 


Bond for Certiorari Refunds – The city is currently paying certioraris out of its reserve for financing. The School Board of Education lays off the cost of lousy assessments and ineffectual certiorari analysis by the city by bonding certioraris. The city should do the same thing but, is that good financial practice? For a few years maybe it would help the city, rebuild that fund balance an time to jawbone the certiorari artists down or price them out of the market with paperwork, hoops, filing fees, cost of paying a forensic audit.


 


Establish Infrastructure Charge of Businesses – I can hear the howls of outrage from business owners now. But, it has to be done. The business property owners complain about the high rents, that business  is down, but they stay. Business Property owners, and their tenants,especially retailers and restaurants have to be held accountable for the cost of furnishing the services to their establishments.


 


Charge them for police, fire, sidewalk, parking upkeep, any charge you can think of so they that utilize the city services the most pay the most. This is another idea spawned by the sewer rent legislation this week. Do away with the BID, and let these businesses new charges pay for a real economic development office that will fill their pathetic empty store fronts – negotiate reasonable rents that will contribute to the city economy rather than fuel money windfalls from certiorari filings from deliberately devaluing their properties for a profit.


 


Raise Taxi Fees add surcharge – With the windfall in taxi medallions, the city should raise taxi fees, which would help cab owners, and by raising them enough…they could add a little something extra, better a lot of something extra, a green fee perhaps. How much this could raise needs to be researched. But a $4 green fee, half to the cab owner and half to the city…direct into the general fund per rider would not be missed. If you need a cab, you need a cab right?


 


Consolidate City Departments – The Parking/ Recreation and Parks merger was intriguing. How about merging Planning with Building – One Commissioner. Merge Purchase with Finance. Put Department of  Traffic in Public Safety. Let’s eliminate the Department of Information Services, and outsource it. Merge Assessment into Finance. Put Rec and Parks in the Youth Bureau. Why didn’t we think of this decades ago? Let’s “Feinerize.”

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$1.6 Million Sales Tax Shortfall if 8% erosion of Sales Tax Continues.

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE By John F. Bailey. April 7, 2010 UPDATED 4:28 P.M. E.D.T.: If last year’s sales tax collection pace in March, April, May, and June is duplicated, the city will still come in $500,000 short  of the predicted $43.5 million in sales tax plugged into the new city budget released Monday. If sales tax continues at is present pace of decline (8%), the city will miss it by $1.6 Million.


 


Meeting, or beating last year’s March, April, May and June sales tax receipts paces would be most welcome, and would show a “recovery in White Plains retail” was on the way.


 


It would be a significant reversal of the sales tax trend since July, which has seen sales tax decline in 7 of the first 8 months of the city fiscal year a consistent decline rate of 8%, though it has slowed from the 11% had been running.


 


 


Presently the city has collected $29,087,681 in sales tax through February. If they collect the $13,897,662 the city received last year in March, April, May and June they will collect $42,985,342  a half million short of the projection in the budget released Monday, $43.5 Million.


 


If the present rate of decline in the sales tax (8%) continues to be reflected in March, April, May and June figures, this would mean a decline of $1,111,812 creating a final sales tax for 2009-10 of $41,873,530, or a $1,626,470 short of the prediction.


 


More Tax Increases? More Cuts? Cross Your Fingers


 


A solution for this untidy gap if it materializes, might  require an additional tax hike of 3.7% to close the gap outright, raising the present 19% proposed tax hike to 22.7% (23%). Mr. Genito said Monday that 1% in the tax rate is equal to $440,000 of expenditures. Genito said that if the sales tax declines, a combination of cuts or higher tax increase would have to be considered to keep the tax rate where it is.


 


1/4% Sales Tax Increase Off the Table. 


 


Mayor Adam Bradley  encountered at a public service announcement taping at Saxon Woods Pool yesterday  for the March of Dimes Baby Walk, was asked by WPCNR if he would consider dedicating the ¼% sales tax increase he is seeking from the legislature to the 2010-11 budget fund to supplement the general revenues and perhaps lower the tax increase projected by his budget substantially.


 


Bradley said he is calling for the ¼% tax increase to preserve the city bond rating and to rebuild fund balance, a cornerstone of bringing the city back to sound financial principles, he feels.


 


Bradley indicated pouring the additional ¼% sales tax increase into the general fund was “off the table.”


 


Mr.Genito, the Budget Director/Commissioner of Finance had advised reporters Monday the ¼% is worth about $5 to6 Million in additional revenues for the city if the legislature passes it.


 


WPCNR figures  diverting the ¼% sales tax increase out of fund balance, should the city receive the increase, to the general fund would lower the required tax increase to a more manageable 6%, only $163/$1,000 of assessed valuation instead of the $187/ $1,000 of assessed valuation, called for in the budget.


 


Your fund balance or your bond rating or your tax bill.


 


However, the city faces a dilemma. Mr. Genito, advised media in a statement by e-mail, that, “At the end of fiscal 2010 (June 30, 2010) we estimate that total fund balance will be approximately $11 million, with $2.1 Million reserved,$5 Million appropriated for the 2010-11 budget,$2.4 Million designated for tax certiorari, leaving $1.5 million as undesignated.


 


The 2011 proposed budget provides that at the end of fiscal 2011, $2.1 million will be reserved,$1.5 million appropriated for the fiscal 2012 budget, $2.4 million for tax certs, $4.9 million in the tax stabilization fund (remember this is subject to passage of the ¼% increase in sales tax rate), and $5.9 million as undesignated.”


 


Mr. Genito explained to WPCNR that the$5.9 million in undesignated fund balance he says going to 2012 would be from cost savings in the newbudget year. In an e-mail, Mr. Genito explained:


 


Given the above, the $5.9M forecast for undesignated is separate and distinct from the $4.9M for tax stabilization. The $4.9M is not included in the $5.9M. The $5.9M is a forecast of what our net revenues might be over expenditures, assuming improved financial management and an improved economy.


The choice Mr. Bradley and the council faces, WPCNR notes is to restore fund balance, revenue has to be diverted, but to do so would mean substantial city cuts or historically high tax increases.


 


April 12 Looms.


 


Perhaps good news showing an increase in sales tax for March will be forthcoming on Monday when the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance issues the figures.

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Petitions to File to Run for Board of Education Due April 28.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. April 7, 2010: Two seats on the White Plains Board of Education will be up for election during the School District Budget vote May 18.


Petitions are available to residents at the School District Headquarters, 5 Homeside Lane. One hundred signatures are needed to obtain a slot on the ballot.


Presently, two incumbents have taken out petitions, Charles Norris and Sheryl Brady, to run for reelection.


Petitions are due April 28. For further information, contact the Clerk to the School Board, Michele Schoenfeld.


To run for the school board, you must be a resident of White Plains and over the age of 18, and a resident of the city for one year.

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Mayor Says He Looks Forward to Working with Common Council to Address Tax Increa

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. From the Mayor’s Office. April 6, 2010: Mayor Adam Bradley issued this statement from city hall Tuesday afternoon in response to the Common Council expressions of reluctance to raise property taxes 19% to fund the city budget:


I have tremendous respect for the city’s budget and financial professionals for preparing this proposed budget during these challenging times.


I now intend to work with the common council to protect the tax payers as much as we can while insuring the city’s immediate and long term fiscal health. We are doing our best to overcome these challenges while trying to protect the quality of life and services that keep White Plains a city where people want to live and businesses want to relocate and expand.


The city inherited a large deficit and the budget and finance team struggled to deal with the poor fiscal practices of the previous administration. We are now eliminating those types of practices.


 


Some positive changes have already been made to save taxpayers money.


My administration has already trimmed more than 4 million dollars from the present budget which has less than 3 months remaining. These cuts will have even better benefits in next year’s budget. They include:


 


*1.5 million dollars savings from the 12 layoffs announced Monday night


 


*My consolidation of administrative positions which saved the city $1,000,000. 


 


*In February, cuts were made in the budget (in areas other than personnel) that saved $939,000.


 


*Also in February 10 Layoffs saved the city $645,000


 


*$930,000 was saved this budget year by changing the monthly payment scheduled for health insurance


 


*Refunding bonds saving the city an additional $327,000 over the life of the bonds


 


Once again, I look forward to working with the common council to ensure that we effectively use cost benefit analysis in balancing the need to reduce taxes while preserving city services that White Plains is known for.


 

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Boykin: Budget D.O.A. Buchwald, Roach, Smayda say cut! OK Sewer Rents.12 Layoffs

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL-CHRONICLE EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. April 6, 2010: David Buchwald, the new Councilman was the first to, after looking at the 2010-11 Proposed Budget on his council desk Monday evening, to say to the Mayor, the $160.2 Million budget incorporating a 19% property tax increase was “unacceptable,” because it  struck at White Plains “affordability.”


 


Later in the Council meeting, Councilman Benjamin Boykin flatly declared, in discussion of approving 12 new city layoffs effective this month, saying he would support the new layoffs, said “I don’t think people will stand this18.88% property tax increase. We need to consider furloughs, wage cuts, layoffs. I think we’re in a financial emergency here.”


 


 


The council approved,7-0, after much soul-searching by Councilman Buchwald, the 12 new layoffs which will save $975,000 in the new 2010-11 budget, and about $250,000 the last quarter of this year. The measure eliminates $525,000 from the Department of Public Safety personnel costs in 2010-11.


 


Boykin in the city hall parking lot told WPCNR, “This budget is Dead on Arrival. The administration needs to go after the unions for furloughs, wage cuts, and failing that, layoffs.”


 


Asked if he had a specific target in mind as to what the property tax increase should, Boykin said he could not pin it down now.


 


As an guide for the White Plains citizen, in order to get the property tax increase down under 10%, the council would have to cut approximately $4 Million out of the budget. To get it down to 5% the cuts would have to top $6 Million. Out of the $148 Million budget proposed. Michael Genito, the Budget Director/Commissioner of Finance told reporters Monday afternoon that each percentage of property tax equals $440,000 of expenses.


 


Beth Smayda, chair of the Budget and Management Committee said in discussion of the 12 positions being eliminated, that if the twelve positions elminated were not eliminated, that by her own calculations the property tax increase for the new budget would be 21% not  19%. 


 


Smayda said that the passage of the Sewer Rents legislation which passed 7-0, was a financial device (charging by usage for key services) that the committee and the city should be looking at to find other sources of revenue. The sewer rents charge water users, including tax-exempt properties, 15% of their annual water bill. It is expected to earn the city a $1.1 Million net a year after the $700,000-plus in annual sewer costs is paid for.  Smayda relayed the information that 200 communities across New York State employ the Sewer Rent device to pay for sewer services. No persons spoke at the public hearing on the Sewer Rent legislation, though one person attempted to, after the hearing was closed, but was denied the right to speak by Mayor Bradley because the hearing had been closed.


 


Thomas Roach in his comments on the layoffs approced Monday night, said laying people off had to happen because 70% of the city budget was labor costs. Dennis Power did not favor cutting the property increase directly, and said the council would get together over the weekend and think about cuts.


 


In other key action, the Council approved  continuing Bensidoun USA as operators of the International Farmers Market, and the moving of the location of the market to the Church and Quarropas parking lot.


 


The council approved a new parking violation: parking without a valid registration. The fine if a vehicle does not have a legal and valid registration will be $50, a second office $100, and a third $120, according to Commissioner of Parking,Albert Moroni.


The new budget will have its first public hearing on May 3 (the next public Common Council meeting).


 


The media was also informed by Budget Director and Commissioner of Finance  Genito Monday that the city would be looking at the feasibility of developing a “Rent” charge applied to Garbage Collection, charging a fee passed upon garbage service. Genito said the state allows such a charge to be collected by communities.


 


The public hearings on permitting outdoor dining at Elements Restaurant, and parking of motor vechicles at service stations in the BR-1 District were adjourned to future Council Dates.

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19% Tax Jump Asked.No Service Cuts.May Cut, Raise Tax More if Sales Tax Wanes

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. April 5, 2010: The Bradley Administration delivered a sobering budget to the Common Council Monday evening, calling for a 19% property tax hike to replace lost revenues due to overoptimistic projections of revenue by the previous administration. The preliminary tax hike hits exactly the tax increase predicted by WPCNR and White Plains Week, last December based on city revenue trends.


 


The average priced home in White Plains, determined by the City Assessor worth $728,000,  would experience a $445 city property tax increase. Taking the White Plains County Tax increase of 2.1%, resulting in a $53 increase, and the School Tax increase of 3.8% resulting in a $600 increase, it means the owner of the average home will face a total increase of  $1,098 in their total tax bill between county, school and now the city.


 


The total city budget is $160.2 Million, including the self-sustaining Library, Water and Self-Insurance funds. Total city budget expense budget comes in at $147,945,775.


  


The budget, according to Michael Genito,  Budget Director, and City Commissioner of Finance, does not cut any services to property owners.


 


Asked by WPCNR of the projected sales tax of $43.5 Million was realistic given the 11% decline in sales tax collections in the first 8 months of the current fiscal year, Genito said that if the sales tax figures at the end of March and April did not show that number materializing, there could be a combination of more city expense cuts and further increase in the tax rate.


 


The city tax rate in the proposed budget submitted the council this evening proposes to go up $29.65 from $157.06 per $1,000 in the current year of Assessed Valuation to $186.71 in 2010-11.


 


Mayor Adam Bradley speaking to the media at a budget briefing Monday said to assembled reporters, “This was a difficult process to say the least. Our financial team has made substantial efforts to reduce costs this year. It has not been fun. We didn’t enjoy it. We inherited a very large (budget) gap to begin with. We were faced with major short falls in revenues. We tried to do everything possible to run the city in a prudent manner in the short and long term.”


 


Mr. Genito said 56 general fund employees currently employed would no longer have jobs (including 6 uniformed police officers, assumed to be retiring, who would not be replaced). Two employees would be let go from the Library, one from the Self-Insurance Fund, 2 from the Water Fund and 7 from the Sewer fund, reducing the active city work staff from 951 to 903.


 


 

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The Mayor’s Domestic Violence Case Is Continued to Next Monday

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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS LAW JOURNAL. April 5, 2010: Judge Susan Caceci adjourned this morning’s court appearance of Mayor Adam Bradley of White Plains to proceed to a trial of the Mayor on domestic violence charges involving two alleged incidents between him and his wife on January 11 and February 28.  The Mayor is expected to be back in Domestic Violence court next Monday, April 12. This morning’s postponement was due to the absence of Mr. Bradley’s attorney due to an inability to appear due to an unspecified illness, requiring medication.

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