State of the County Address 2012
Last Wednesday evening I delivered my third annual State of the County Address. Over 300 people were in attendance and many more watched from home on News 12 Westchester. If you did not get a chance to tune in, you can watch the video of the speech by clicking the link below:
The State of the County provided me the opportunity to emphasize my commitment to protecting taxpayers while elivering essential services for those in need. We continue to prove that government can be run smarter and more efficiently. Since I have taken office, the county property tax levy has decreased 2% and spending is down nearly $100 million. And once again I vowed, come November, to submit another balanced budget with no tax increase for 2013.
I touched upon several other issues in the speech, including our efforts to alleviate chronic flooding, environmental initiatives, the future of the Tappan Zee Bridge, and our progress with the Housing Settlement.
Other big news was my announcement that we reached a groundbreaking agreement with the Teamsters Union. The 7-year contract will include some modest salary increases and freezes, and require, for the first time ever, current Teamsters union workers to contribute up to 12.5% for their health benefits. New Teamsters employees will contribute 20% for health care. The Teamsters are to be commended for bargaining in good faith and negotiating a reasonable contract. I hope this serves as a model for our seven other unions, all of whom have expired contracts.
A Major Victory for Westchester Regarding the Housing Settlement
A federal magistrate judge handed Westchester County a major victory regarding the housing settlement the county has with HUD. The Magistrate’s ruling said that the housing monitor, who was selected by HUD, “erred in concluding that the County Executive violated the settlement” as it related to my veto of the legally flawed Source of Income legislation that was passed by the County Board of Legislators.
My stance was based on principle. The law sent to me was an attack on property rights. Ironically, it would have made housing less affordable and less available. The court found that I was within my authority as an elected official to exercise my veto power.
More importantly, the court’s decision reaffirmed that the federal government does not have unlimited powers. The disagreements that I have had with HUD and the housing monitor were over their demands, like the Source of Income legislation, that were beyond the scope of what the county agreed to when my predecessor and the County Board signed the settlement agreement in 2009.
HUD even used tactics that can only be labeled as intimidation. While this issue was before the court, HUD preemptively withheld $7 million in funding that HUD had promised to the county to help advance the building of affordable units to comply with the settlement. Part of the money was also to be used in our neediest communities that, though not a part of this agreement, certainly are in need of affordable housing. That is why I demanded that HUD immediately release the funds.
The bottom line is that we are well ahead of schedule in building 750 fair and affordable housing units, as per the settlement. Though they are in various stages of completion, 72% of the units are in the pipeline. I will continue to work diligently to comply with the settlement. But you can also be
assured that I will resist any overreach by the federal government that seeks to take away rights we have as a county and your rights as a citizen.
Taking Action on Flooding in Westchester
Flooding is an issue that has frustrated Westchester residents for many years. Whether you live close to a river or along a low-lying coastline, the threat of flooding is a nightmare that has too often come true. In the past year alone, I have witnessed firsthand the damage that flooding has done to homes, businesses and even the spirit of some Westchester residents.
That is why I am taking action to do something about it.
Flood mitigation is a complex issue that was not caused yesterday and will not be fixed tomorrow.
But you have to begin somewhere. That is why we have allocated $9 million in capital projects that will alleviate flooding in areas along the Bronx River (which the county government controls) and three projects in Sound Shore communities where, in some cases, local governments are contributing half of the cost. In addition to these efforts, the county will be expanding River Rescue—a public-private partnership to engage volunteers in removing debris in the Bronx River.
While the county is leading efforts on this issue, we will continue to advocate for action on the state and federal level to tackle the larger projects in other areas of the county.
