March 28, 2008

County Executive Andy Spano today joined county executives across the state in denouncing the state’s latest budget proposal. He said that the decisions now on the table as the state hastens to adopt an on-time budget will cause local property taxes to rise.

“Governor Spitzer’s proposed budget was bad enough causing Westchester to pay $6 million more for various state-mandated services,” said Spano.  “Now on top of this, Governor Paterson’s budget calls for a 2 percent decrease in state funding across the board. For us, that means an additional hit of over $2.8 million. Taken together, the state is imposing a property tax increase of almost 2 percent on our residents. It is unconscionable.”

Spano continued, “I know that the state has severe problems in this economy. But no one is hurting more than our local property taxpayers. Breakfast, lunch and dinner conversations are all about the price of gas, the cost to heat our homes, and worry over dwindling retirement funds. Our residents must not be asked to take on this additional burden. In crisis times like these, belts have to be tightened everywhere, not shifted. The state must reduce its own spending. There must be no more mandates, no expansion of current mandates and no cuts in state aid.” 

During a press conference call in which more than 100 people participated, including 11 county executives and their representatives, county leaders from Albany to Westchester today spoke about how the state’s latest budget would force them to raise local property taxes. Under the plan proposed by Gov. Patterson, counties across the state would suffer a 2 percent across the board cut in funding and at the same time be expected to pick up more of the cost of state-mandated programs like child welfare and caring for juvenile delinquents. 
                                                   
Spano said he and the other county executives are ready to stand with the governor and state legislature if they make hard choices to reduce spending.

“In times like this, Westchester County government makes it own hard choices and finds ways to reduce costs, and trim expenses,” he said.  “But what we don’t do is shift county costs down to our localities.  On the other hand, if the answer is state cost shifts and funding cuts, our residents will need to know that  future property tax increases are the result of the decisions Albany makes now.”