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“This is a smart and responsible budget that protects the interests of all county residents,” said Astorino. “It strikes the right balance between taxes and services.”
Under the new budget, spending will increase by 0.5 percent, or $10 million, which is less than the rate of inflation. There are no reductions in services and the county’s safety net remains strong with spending for the Department of Social Services at $545 million.
On the revenue side, the property tax levy will remain at $548 million for the fifth consecutive year. Sales tax is projected to increase by 4 percent to $414 million.
The budget passed 10-7 with approval from a bipartisan majority made up of all seven Republicans on the Board of Legislators and three Democrats: Board Chairman Michael Kaplowitz, (D-Somers), and MaryJane Shimsky, (D-Hastings-on-Hudson), and Virginia Perez, (D-Yonkers).
One compromise in the budget is that borrowing to pay tax certioraris – the claims made against the county by property owners challenging the assessments on which their tax bills are based – will be reduced from $8 million to $5 million. Because of the county’s very good credit rating, the borrowing cost will only be $25,000 a year over five years.
Separate to the operating budget is the capital budget, which allocates $276 million to improve the county airport, water and sewers, highways and bridges. Working with the county’s labor unions, Astorino has negotiated labor contracts where seven of the county’s eight unions are now contributing to their health care. The employee contributions offset the county’s $103 million in health care costs by about $5 million a year.
The approved budget also included an additional $687,000 to the county’s subsidized day care program, specifically the non-federally mandated Title XX program, which covers families making up to three times more than the federal poverty level.
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