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 White Plains, NY - County Executive Andy Spano, pointing to the challenging economic times ahead for individuals, families, businesses and governments, promised that county government would continue to tighten its own belt to control taxes and would provide even more opportunities for shared services so local governments and school districts would also save.
“Our nation’s economic problems are hurting our residents,” Spano said, as he delivered his annual State of the County Address Thursday. “I see the high price of milk in supermarkets and the increased costs of eating out – even at pizzerias. Rising utility rates and gas prices, mortgage issues and home foreclosures, college debt, the tightening of credit and the slow-down of the housing market. All these things weigh heavily on my mind and on the minds of the public.”
And so does the burden of high property taxes on Westchester residents, Spano said. While county taxes comprise less than 20 percent of a property owner’s bill, taxpayers care only about the bottom line.
“We all pay school taxes, town, village or city taxes, some pay special district taxes for fire protection, and of course there are county taxes,” he said. “When you put it all together, it’s one big tax bill. And all of us need to work in unison to reduce it.”
The county executive detailed a long list of efficiencies that the county has implemented and new cost-saving measures for the future. Some of these would help local governments and school districts by providing them with additional opportunities for shared services with the county.
But, he warned, “The only way there will be real property tax relief for our residents is if Albany declares a moratorium on unfunded and under-funded mandates imposed, not only on the county, but on our school districts and local governments as well.” Such action, he said, would help not only the county, but local governments and school districts. “There must be no new mandates, no expansion of current mandates and no cuts in state aid for mandated programs. State government must change the way it relates to the counties, municipalities and school districts,” he said.
The speech, delivered to the Board of Legislators in the Legislative Chamber at the County Office Building, White Plains, was Spano’s 11th such speech as county executive and included an overview of county programs, goals for the future and a commitment to maintain the quality of life for which Westchester is renown.
While his priority remains “to make sure our residents are safe, secure and healthy,” Spano vowed to continue to do this in the most cost-effective way. “I want to be able to stand here each year and assure you that you are getting the best value for your tax dollar.”
COST EFFICIENCIES/SHARED SERVICES
The county government has been an active participant in the Westchester County Association’s Property Tax Reform Alliance, a network of school, business and government officials who are working locally on ways to reduce property taxes.
Building on existing shared services initiatives that have helped municipalities and school districts to add programs and reduce costs, the county executive listed various new ways they could benefit.
The county will create a new shared procurement service that will save governments, schools and special districts some of the expenses of preparing bid documents as well as provide cost savings on actual purchases due to economies of scale.
A new section of the county Web site will be added to help encourage this sharing. County data will be on the web to help school and municipal officials select from already vetted lists of professionals like architects and engineers. There will also be information to help them purchase various items from green cleaning materials to hybrid cars. The county will provide at no cost, or at its cost, traffic engineering studies, highway signage and the shared use of various facilities.
The county wants to create a Local Government Investment Pool that could consolidate the investments of these different taxing jurisdictions to generate additional revenue for all by aggregating funds to get a better rate of return.
The county will continue to implement new cost-saving measures, large and small, in its departments. For example, the Department of Correction, to save staff time and inmate transportation costs, has begun a telemedicine program with Westchester Medical Center, and video court conferencing with the Mount Pleasant Town Court. The Department of Finance is using electronic bidding and paperless checks and more electronic transfers, reducing the costs of supplies, postage, labor and bank fees. At Playland, by purchasing eight leased or revenue-shared rides and reducing expenses, the county has cut the tax levy contribution by half in two years.
A large-scale performance management initiative continues. Each department will be continually assessed to see how it is doing and what it can be doing better, more cheaply or differently. These assessments will show how the department is meeting the needs of the public – and this will be an important factor in future budgeting decisions.
“We face very challenging economic times. … It is a fact that when the economy is struggling more people rely on county government. Both residents and even businesses tend to count more on the services and information we provide – many without even realizing that it’s county government that’s providing them,” Spano said.
For example, the departments of Emergency Services and Public Safety, respectively, train firefighters and police officers for local municipalities. The Department of Environmental Facilities has been at the forefront of the county’s enhanced recycling efforts and the global warming campaign. And the Planning Department has led the way to tackle the issue of flooding and how Westchester should look in the year 2025.
Additionally, the Consumer Office has ongoing programs to assist homeowners facing foreclosure or massive credit card debt or dealing with an unsatisfactory home improvement contractor; the Health Department launched a patient education program so people can get the best possible health care; and the Department of Social Services continues to collect record amounts of child support payments from “deadbeat” parents.
He noted that there was a 6.3 percent increase in Bee-Line passengers last year, with more than 50,000 county residents relying on these buses. And more than 75 percent of Westchester’s residents use one or more of the county’s parks each year. “I am proud of what we have accomplished and what we will accomplish in the years ahead. We have a government that is honest, forward-thinking and cost-effective,” he said.
Spano said the county would pursue new initiatives to meet changing needs of the public. For example:
The county, through the Department of Consumer Protection, will institute a new personal financial education program. “I have spoken to seniors who have been targeted in financial scams. I have spoken to college kids, even teenagers, who are deep in credit card debt and can’t get out. I know that homeowners, having been enticed by exotic lending schemes, are now looking at the horror of foreclosure. And, I am aware that many low-income individuals find opening bank accounts intimidating. Personal financial education is a necessity in today’s world, and the absence of coordinated efforts to provide it is glaring,” he said.
The county is launching Project Lifesaver, a partnership with county police, the Department of Senior Programs and Services and the Hebrew Home for the Aged, to help the families of patients with Alzheimer’s. Patients will be given a wristband that emits an automatic tracking signal; with the help of the Department of Public Safety, these patients may then be easily located should they wander off.
The county will soon convene the first meeting of Spano’s Autism Advisory Council, that will work with the Department of Community Mental Health. Comprised of parents, professionals and educators, the council will make recommendations on how to correct gaps in services. “Parents of autistic children spend a lifetime of energy and effort, not counting the emotional and financial toll, trying to find the right programs, guidance and support to help their youngsters to be educated and their older children to be independent,” Spano said.
To follow up on the county’s efforts to reduce health disparities of minorities, the county in the fall will sponsor Westchester’s first minority health career conference, designed to encourage young minority students to become doctors or pursue another career in the health field.
This summer the county will launch Second Chances, a program designed to convince young people of the dangers of driving drunk or drugged. Using a little encouragement and a healthy dose of fear, the county’s Probation, Public Safety and Labs and Research departments have created a reality experience at the morgue.
Spano paused during the speech to recognize the members of the family of the late Staff Sgt. Courtney Hollinsworth of Yonkers, who was killed last September in Iraq. “Each year, it has been my sad duty to remind our residents that the war in Iraq continues to touch families here at home in the most grievous and personal way,” he said.
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