Zero Percent Increase Proposed in Westchester Budget; 126 Layoffs Planned

Astorino Unveils Proposed 2013 Budget for Westchester

County Executive Robert P. Astorino released on Wednesday a proposed $1.7 billion budget for 2013 that keeps the tax levy on property owners flat but includes a reduction staff by 189 positions, 126 personnel would be laid off as a result of the staff reduction.

The 189 job eliminations reflect a reduction of almost 4 percent in the county’s overall workforce of 4,979.

The budget does not cut jobs in the public safety and health department, sustains the current Bee-Line Bus system and adds funds to legal services, veterans, seniors and victims of domestic violence.

Astorino claims that the layoffs could have been averted had the county’s largest union agreed to contribute to the cost of its health care.

The county executive also recommends that Westchester participate in the state’s pension amortization program, which essentially means the county will defer approximately $35 million of 2013’s $91 million employee pension bill. He also suggests bonding $13 million of court-ordered tax reductions, known as certioraris, so the money does not have to come from the operating budget.

“The story of this budget is not what is but what could have been,” said Astorino. “I pleaded with our largest union, the CSEA, to help avoid layoffs. Had they followed the lead of three other unions to start contributing to the cost their health care, we could have saved jobs and programs. But they refused. As a result, layoffs and other cuts are regrettably my only option. It’s sad and ironic that the union leadership charged with protecting the jobs of its members ignored my repeated requests to help save jobs.”

The layoffs proposed by Astorino will affect most county departments, but fall most heavily on Social Services (75 jobs, a 6.6 percent reduction);  Parks (22 jobs, a 8.2 percent reduction); Public Works and Transportation (24 jobs, a 8.7 percent reduction). In addition to the 126 layoffs, 63 vacant positions will also be eliminated.

Astorino projects that while Medicaid, pension, health care and salaries are expected to increase the 2013 budget by about $40 million, revenues are expected to go up by $12 million.

In addition, Astorino proposed cutting all funding – $3 million – for the three neighborhood health centers in Ossining, Peekskill and Mount Vernon. He said these centers have strong surpluses, combined assets of  $57 million and the salaries of their three top executives total nearly $1 million.

In the proposed budget, there would be reduced funding to the Cornell Cooperative Extension from $990,000 to $600,000. The county parks and nature centers would remain open, but the number of curators will be reduced from six to three.

Playland will remain open in 2013, as the county proceeds to turn operations over to Sustainable Playland Inc., a Rye-based not-for-profit that plans to retain the traditional summer amusements and introduce new activities to make the 100-acre park a year-round destination.

The county’s day care program will be budgeted at $26 million, the same allocation as 2012 but recommended increasing the parental contribution be increased up to 35 percent.

A separate capital budget for 2013 has also been submitted.  The total capital budget proposed for 2012 is $198 million, an increase of $33 million from 2012. Projects proposed include improvements to bridges, roads, sewers, water districts and the county airport, as well as technology upgrades and renovations to parks. There is added $10 million for flood mitigation.

Democrats Respond

Democratic members of the Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) reacted with guarded optimism and concern on Wednesday following Astorino’s release of the proposed $1.7 billion budget for 2013. The legislators were pleased to see that the proposed budget would not raise the county’s tax levy or dip into the fund balance, but issues regarding pension costs and workforce reductions raised worries.

“The Board of Legislators has adopted budgets that reduced the proposed tax levy from the County Executive while preserving essential services,” said BOL Chairman Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers). “The budget, as proposed, will be closely reviewed and prioritized to do what is right for Westchester. We certainly agree with County Executive Astorino that moving forward there should be a budget that doesn’t increase taxes or jeopardize the county’s triple A bond rating. As we look more carefully at this proposed budget we’ll undoubtedly find areas of agreement and places where we’d like to see some changes.”

Jenkins added that two major concerns about Astorino’s proposed budget deal with plans to amortize $35 million of next year’s $91 million employee pension bill, and bonding $13 million of court-ordered tax certioraris. “Westchester County has never bonded for tax certioraris, and the practice has caused great problems for places like Nassau County.”

“A power point presentation isn’t a budget—a budget is about people,” said BOL majority Leader Pete Harckham (D-Katonah). “We’ll now start the process of listening to the people of Westchester to ensure that their needs are met in a cost-effective manner. Under Legislator Judy Myers’s leadership as chair of the Board’s Budget and Appropriations Committee, we’ll go through all 6000 lines of the budget and evaluate the spending and revenue proposals with an eye toward making sure they’re right for the people and business owners of Westchester.”

Astorino’s proposed budget calls the elimination of funding for neighborhood health centers and raising the parent share for subsidized daycare up to 35 percent. Several curators and the programs they manage at county parks will be eliminated as well.

“The County Executive’s proposed budget, given to the Board of Legislators today, will receive public examination and line-by-line scrutiny it deserves,” said Legislator Myers. “In the weeks ahead, we’ll be holding meetings and public hearings in order to make sure that our taxpayers, our Westchester families and businesses have plenty of opportunity to make their concerns and ideas about the budget known. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are up to it.”

Public Hearings Set

The BOL will be spend the next three weeks going over the budget.

There are three public hearings set on the proposed 2013 budget. On Nov. 20 there will be a public hearing at 7 p.m. at the Village of Mamaroneck, 169 Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Mamaroneck. On Thursday, Nov. 29 a public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. at Town of Cortlandt, Vincent F. Nyberg General Meeting Room, 1 Heady Street, Cortlandt Manor.  The final public hearing will be held on Dec. 5 at Westchester County Center, 198 Central Avenue, White Plains.

All meetings are open to the public and streamed ‘live’ and archived online at www.westchesterlegislators.com.