Public Works, Transportation, Labor and Parks

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Chair: Ken Jenkins

Committee Members: José Alvarado; William Burton; Judith Myers; Vito Pinto; Suzanne Swanson

Staff: Brian Bochow

The Committee on Public Works, Transportation, Labor and Parks handles a variety of topics.

All public projects funded by the county’s taxpayers are vetted by this committee before funds can be appropriated and released. The committee monitors construction and maintenance projects that relate to county-owned and operated infrastructure, including its 200 bridges and 179 miles of county-owned roadway; 7 County-operated wastewater treatment plants; sewer and water lines; a materials recovery facility that receives recyclables collected by 35 municipalities; Westchester County Airport, Rye Playland, Westchester County Center and the Norwood Jackson Correctional Facility; the county’s office buildings, parking structures and the county courthouse.

The committee reviews requests for heavy equipment purchases needed to carry out the public works projects as well as transportation equipment and facilities. The Committee reviews inter-municipal agreements that pertain to the Departments of Public Works, Planning and Environmental Facilities and Community Development Block Grant projects.

The Committee evaluates public transportation issues and investigate the need, if any, for transportation services improvements.

The Committee focuses on issues that affect the working people of Westchester County, paying special attention to fostering good relations among unions, labor organizations, government and the public. The Committee will evaluate and analyze proposed labor legislation to determine if the government policy underlying the legislation is fair to workers. In addition to reviewing and evaluating labor policies, the Committee will alert fellow county legislators and reach out to citizens on labor issues of concern and recommend additions to the state and federal legislative packages.

Other Committee functions and activities include:

• Working with organized labor to help spread awareness to workers of legislative social programs that would benefit their members;
• Meeting annually with leaders of Westchester/Putnam AFL-CIO central labor body and component unions;
• Reviewing labor issues in state government and supporting policies favored by the committee and the Board of Legislators;
• Reviewing proposed county labor contracts jointly with the Committee on Budget and Appropriations;
• Touring work sites where labor concerns may be at hand.

The Committee oversees the Parks Department’s management of the county’s more than 17,000 acres, 50 recreational facilities and 6 public golf courses to ensure that county residents are provided with quality recreational opportunities. This includes protecting the county’s precious open spaces and acquiring new sites; reviewing all public polices that affect the operations of county park facilities; reviewing the implementation of recreational activities and programs; reviewing and approving capital improvement projects; and monitoring constituent relations.