Mid-Hudson News
TARRYTOWN – Westchester, Rockland and Putnam County Executives Robert Astorino, Edwin Day and MaryEllen Odell addressed Hudson Valley business leaders on ways to improve their counties as well as the greater Hudson Valley. During a panel discussion Monday morning at a Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress breakfast, the county leaders discussed issues including local government size, taxes, financing and schooling.
Day said that the Pattern for Progress forum is a good place for county and business leaders to share information and partner up.
“We tend to look at things in a broad sense,” Day said. “We look at cost of living, taxes and we often don’t identify the sources and roots of these things. I think, with a forum such as this, people get a better grasp of exactly what drives these costs and they become partners with us to try and keep those costs down.”
Government finance, size and taxes were main focal points for the panel. Things like an overburdening SEQRA process, failure to have enough tax revenue for infrastructure projects, an alleged $6 billion misallocation of funds by Governor Cuomo and possible consolidation of municipal departments were factors all three county executives agreed need addressing immediately.
Astorino said because of financing issues, Westchester is seeing its most difficult budget in the six years he has been in office. Despite the trouble, he said he, along with the other county executives, are not going to increase taxes to supplement needed revenue.
“It’s frustrating, but as a manager, it’s my job to find a way and taxes, increasing them are a last resort and we’re not going to do it,” said Astorino. “So, I’d rather squeeze county government than squeeze taxpayers and businesses.”
Odell praised Pattern for it efforts.
“They definitely have their finger on the pulse on what is going on in New York State in different municipalities, what’s working, what’s not working,” Odell said. “They are a very committed organization that has really proven to be an incredible resource for all of us in county government.”
By way of schools, the county executives are looking toward solutions for the imminent funding that will be a result of the Common Core.
Odell is looking to consolidate the superintendents’ office in Putnam by suggesting one superintendent for the six schools districts rather than the one per school that exist now as one possible solution.
Collectively, all three county executives maintained that increasing government and taxes is not the way to move forward in 2015.
