County Legislators Override Most of Astorino's 2011 Budget Vetoes

The Westchester County Board of Legislators adopted a 2011 budget, overriding most of County Executive Robert Astorino's line-item vetoes.

The budget, at $1.79 billion, calls for a two-percent tax levy decrease and takes away $28.5 million in spending versus 2010.

"What we did today was we maintained the two-percent tax reduction that we promised the people of Westchester," said Majority Leader Peter Harckham, whose district includes Mount Kisco and Bedford.

Other notable items include restored funding, from Astorino's propsed budget that he unveiled in November – which called for a one-percent tax increases and cuts in services - for a variety of areas. They include the county's Section 8 housing contract, money for community health centers, six-month transitional funding for mental health clinics that have been slated for closure (they include a facility in Mount Kisco) and child care. The budget also calls for a leaner county work force, with a 10-percent cut in its size.

A portion of the county's multi-million-dollar fund balance will be set aside for paying tax certiorari refunds, something that Republicans in the legislature objected to and felt was not fiscally responsible. Astorino proposed borrowing for certioraris and came under criticism from Democratic legislators who felt using money on hand was better fiscally. Minority Leader James Maisano, whose district includes parts of New Rochelle and the Pelhams, spoke for the opposition to reserves spending and also disagreed with Astorino's borrowing proposal. However, he argued that the certiorari issue should be handled with spending cuts instead.

Republican also felt that the figure for projected sales taxes is too optimistic, and took objection to items for items marked for areas such as economic development and community services spending, claiming they were not transparent in terms of detail. Maisano, speaking on behalf of his bloc, described the money as a "slush fund." Harckham, in an interview, countered that they have been documented and are appropriate for spending.

Out of 260 items that Astorino vetoed, the legislature took up override votes on 249, with all but two passing. The items that were not taken up included a $2 golf fee increase and layoffs of information technology department employees, Harckham said.

The minimum vote threshold is a two-thirds supermajority, or at least 12 legislators. Many of the items passed along party lines – 12 Democrats to five Republicans – although some items were overridden unanimously with 17 votes. Also, some were passed but with members of each party crossing over to support the other.

Ultimately, it appeared with many of the votes that people in on the opposite sides agreed to disagree, although the atmosphere was friendly at the end, as county lawmakers adjourned for the holiday season.

For previous stories on the 2011 county budget, click here.