Rockland Lawmakers Ask State To Review County Exec's Budget Plan

Three Rockland County Legislators have written to the New York State Comptroller’s Office to request that specific issues be reviewed in County Executive Ed Day’s proposed 2016 budget.

Legislature Chairman Alden H. Wolfe, Budget and Finance Committee Chairman Legislator Michael M. Grant and Legislator Ilan S. Schoenberger said in a prepared statement that they have identified at least six specific issues in the $723 million proposal.

“It is my belief that the County Executive’s proposed budget for calendar year (2016) overstates revenue and underestimates expenditures that will increase the deficit in Rockland County,” Schoenberger said.

They went to Thomas P. DiNapoli because, they said, the Comptroller’s Office had been given the task of reviewing the county’s annual proposed budget under a 2013 state law that also authorized the county to borrow $96 million to use toward paying down its budget deficit.

DiNapoli reported last month that Rockland County remained one of the most fiscally stressed municipalities in the state. 

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In their Oct. 5 letter, Wolfe and Grant specified five issues:

• No money for a reserve fund for deficit reduction as required by county law.
• A “one shot” sale of the Sain County Building for $4 million without a formal appraisal and without yet marketing it – a process that could take considerable time.
• Zero allotted on the expense side for the Summit Park Hospital and Nursing Care Center, relying on closing the facility by Dec. 31. Legislative approval is required to approve any closure -- which must comply with New York State Department of Health regulations.
• On the revenue side, there’s $1.8 million for Community College charge-backs; but such charge-backs to Rockland’s five towns were eliminated by resolution in 2013.
• The budget includes $2.5 million in salary savings via a Voluntary Separation Incentive, but no such incentive has been approved by the County Legislature.

In his Oct. 15 letter, Schoenberger said, he voiced most of the same concerns, and added that Day’s proposal also increases taxes above the amount allowed by the tax cap. He noted that no prior discussions about raising the cap have been held between Day and legislators and that it would require 60 percent of the 17-member Legislature to support busting the cap.

“We wrote to the Comptroller to highlight some of our concerns and we hope to receive strong feedback,” Wolfe said. “Our residents, our taxpayers are relying on us to do the very best we can when it comes to providing necessary services in as cost-effective a budget as possible.”

“Without changes, many of these proposed revenues are nothing more than phantom revenues that cannot be realized in 2016 and that will drive the deficit back up,” Schoenberger said.

Day has invited Rockland residents wishing to learn more about the spending plan to a public forum Nov. 16 in Valley Cottage. Residents may bring questions or also submit them in advance via email at Q&AEdDay@co.rockland.ny.us