(WHITE PLAINS, NY) PKF O’Connor Davies, the County’s independent auditors, advised Westchester Legislators yesterday that the proposed 2018 Westchester County Budget includes unsecure revenues – such as $29M for the proposed airport deal - which leaves it structurally imbalanced. Without a recurring revenue source, this budget will collapse and the County will be further down the road toward another negative adjustment to our credit rating.

After weeks of thorough review, presentations from various departments, input from the outside groups such as the League of Women Voters, and the presentation from the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee, Democratic members of the Board’s Committee on Budget & Appropriations were not surprised to hear these findings.

“For the outgoing administration to include $29M of revenue for their proposed airport deal – and never even send the deal to us for review is downright irresponsible governing,” said Legislator Catherine Parker, member of the Committee on B&A. “We are here to do serious work, Westchester residents rely on services provided by a balanced budget. The document sent to us by the Administration is not serious and we are hard at work to fix this mess.”

“This proposed budget does not include a dime for needed union contract settlements, something that we all know is a large looming expense,” said Legislator Ben Boykin, member of the Committee on B&A. “To give us a budget with made-up revenues while not including all needed expenses in unconscionable,” said Boykin.”

“Our independent auditors have seen the trend of the outgoing Administration’s budgets heading toward insolvency each year – but this one is the most egregious,” said Majority Leader Catherine Borgia, member of the Committee on B&A. “Fake revenues from a deal we haven’t seen and fake sales tax projections are no way to responsibly balance a budget.”