Legislature Approves Sheriff’s Deputies’ Contract Again, Seeks Compromise

From the Rockland County Legislature

Rockland County legislators voted 10-6 Tuesday to approve a new Sheriff’s Deputies’ contract that covers the years 2011 through 2016.

“The deputies have waited long enough for pay they rightly deserve,” Legislature Chairman Toney L. Earl said. “They have been without a contract for more than six years – and that’s simply too long to wait.

“I am pleased to support this resolution, which includes the funding needed to cover the terms of the contract,” Earl said. “It is now headed to the County Executive’s desk for approval. If there are other issues the County Executive wants to discuss, we are willing to discuss them. But don’t hold up the deputies’ contract in the meantime.”

In December, Legislators amended the County Executive’s proposed 2017 county budget to include proper funding for a new contract, but the County Executive vetoed the amended version and there were not enough votes for an override.

Legislators recently passed a new resolution that approved the contract and created their own funding stream for it.

The County Executive vetoed it, saying that the funding was, just as the budget amendment had been, fiscally irresponsible.

On Tuesday, the Legislature once again approved a resolution ratifying the contract, this time with a new funding clause that represents a compromise between the original funding proposals by the County Executive and the Legislature.

Most of the Minority members wanted to adopt a resolution approving the contract without funding, leaving the source of funding to be negotiated later.

But on April 5, 2016, in a legal opinion issued regarding last year’s union contracts, the County Attorney stated that it is not proper to approve a contract without appropriating funding to the necessary budget lines.

The opinion read in part: “The consequences of a violation of this statutory mandate is that the subject contract can be declared void.”

The Legislature made meaningful changes that are reflected in the resolution adopted Tuesday in terms of funding, officials said.

First, the Legislature approved using $1 million in surplus funding remaining in the Sheriff’s Department’s 2016 budget. The County Executive supported using $1.2 million from such funding in his original request.

Second, the Legislature reduced the $1 million of additional estimated sales tax revenue it sought to add to the 2017 county budget to cover the contract’s funding. The County Executive opposed increasing the sales tax estimate.

Legislative officials said the adjustments allow for the purposeful and responsible funding of the new contract, which requires $2.1 million in funding to cover retroactive pay and new salaries. The adopted resolution also includes the elimination of 10 vacant positions, including five vacant since 2015, to help cover the funding.

PHOTO: Rockland County Legislature Chairman Toney Earl