White Plains, NY — On Monday, the Board of Legislators voted unanimously to approve operating, capital and special district budgets for 2022 that strengthen the County's finances, provide historic levels of support for human services in Westchester County, and expand the County's investment in infrastructure improvements for the 21st century.
Among the highlights are:
- $7 million cut in County property tax levy
- No one-shot revenues for continuing operations
- No borrowing to fund pension obligations or operating expenses
- No use of reserve funds
- $10.2 million increase in funding for childcare
- $10 million from American Rescue Plan funds for Small Landlord Rehabilitation Assistance Program
- More than $1 million to address food insecurity
- Increases of as much as 16% for not-for-profit service partners
- $600K in new funding for Youth Bureaus
- Addition of Health Department personnel
- Funding to support new telemedicine programs
- Funding for new public safety initiatives
- $50 million for land acquisition and infrastructure improvements to support affordable housing, largest single-year commitment in County history
- Funding for flood mitigation, including $11 million added by Board of Legislators for flooding along Mamaroneck Avenue from the Sheldrake and Mamaroneck Rivers
- $35 million to continue process of converting bus fleet from fossil fuel to hybrid and electric vehicles and install EV charging capacity at County's bus garages
- More than $57 million to modernize waste water treatment facilities including more than $22 million in additional odor control at the Yonkers facility
Legislator Catherine Borgia (D-Cortlandt, Croton on Hudson, Ossining, Briarcliff Manor, Peekskill), Chair of the Board's Budget and Appropriations Committee, said, "I want to thank the County Executive for sending us a good budget, and my colleagues on the Board for making it a transformational one. In particular, the money we are committing to support childcare will help working families and pay dividends for a generation in improved early childhood development and by helping lift children out of poverty. This budget reflects our values -- that government must respond to real community needs -- and provides proof that we can strengthen the social safety net, invest in our infrastructure, and at the same time make historic improvements in the County's finances."
Board Chair Ben Boykin (D-White Plains, Scarsdale, West Harrison), said, "We have brought this County a long way from where it was four years ago. Then we faced low and dwindling general reserve funds, a string of budgets that relied on unsustainable one-shot revenues, decaying infrastructure whose repair had been deferred, a County government whose ability to respond to residents' needs had been crippled by cuts, and that was before the challenges of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, we've restored the County's financial health and we are expanding our investment in Westchester's future -- not just by investing in our roads, bridges, parks, and transportation, but most importantly by investing in our people. These budgets put people first."
Vice Chair Alfreda Williams (D-Elmsford, Greenburgh, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown) said, "In my career in public service, I have always worked to focus government action on human needs, and to advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves, like children. So I'm extremely gratified, in my last act as a County Legislator, to cast a vote for a budget that will do so much to improve the lives of Westchester residents. The money we are committing to childcare will have a profound impact on Westchester's working families. The $50 million commitment to affordable housing will help us address one of Westchester's greatest challenges -- ensuring that seniors and working people can afford to live in our communities. These are the kinds of priorities that will ensure a brighter future for our county."
Majority Leader MaryJane Shimsky (D-Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Edgemont, Hartsdale, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington) said, "When I first ran for County Legislator it was with the hope of passing the sort of budgets we're passing today. Budgets that identify problems and work to solve them: whether it is the problem of access to childcare, or the affordability of housing, or of bringing our infrastructure into the 21st century, or addressing the threats from climate change, our 2022 budgets offer real world solutions to the problems of Westchester residents now and for the future. I'd especially like to thank County Executive Latimer for agreeing with my suggestion that we add personnel to the County Health Department, whose work has proven so valuable from the opioid crisis to COVID-19. Our agreement shows what is possible with truly cooperative leadership between government officials."
Majority Whip Christopher Johnson (D-Yonkers) said, "Budget choices reflect who we are and what we believe is important. I'm proud that this budget puts the needs of people in our communities first, with historic increases in support for childcare and affordable housing, increased commitment to youth programs, increased support for eviction prevention, legal help for domestic violence survivors, and senior programs. I'm particularly thankful that my colleagues on the Board and the Latimer administration agreed with my suggestion for the Small Landlord Rehabilitation Assistance Program. This will provide help to small landlords who have struggled as a result of the pandemic, and ensure that they make investments in housing infrastructure while keeping rents affordable, which will have exactly the kind of long-term benefit that we want to see from the use of federal ARPA funds."
Below is a summary of some of the highlights from the 2022 budgets passed Monday by the Board:
2022 Operating Budget Highlights
Strengthening County's Finances
• $7 million cut in County property tax levy
• No one-shot revenues for continuing operations
• No borrowing to fund pension obligations or operating expenses
• No use of reserve funds -- County is expected to end 2021 with more than $300 million in general reserve funds, up from a low point of $65 million in unrestricted fund balance in 2018
Expanding Human Services and Economic Development Support
- $10.2 million increase in funding for childcare -- including $4.6 million added by Board of Legislators -- to increase the County's childcare scholarship program and the reimbursement rate paid to childcare providers
- Allows expansion of aid eligibility to include families making up to 85 percent of the state median income; reduces out of pocket costs for eligible parents; provides for an increased number of children in programs; helps childcare providers recruit high quality staff
- $10 million from American Rescue Plan funds for Small Landlord Rehabilitation Assistance Program -- including $9 million increase added by Board of Legislators
- Helps small landlords improve the quality of housing stock; supports small landlords after COVID-19 revenue losses
- More than $1 million to address food insecurity and hunger
- Increases of as much as 16% for not-for-profit service partners allowing the County to expand services affordably in areas like domestic violence survivor support, eviction prevention and other legal services, small business training, senior services, after-school programs and mental health programs
- $600K in new funding for municipal Youth Bureaus
- Additional Health Department personnel in medical data and biostatistics areas to increase ability to deal with public health threats like COVID-19, opioid crisis
- Funding to support new telemedicine programs
- Funding for new public safety initiatives including Project Alliance which coordinates mental health response to emergency crises across departments
- New commitment for hiring Spanish-speaking police officers
2022 Capital & Special District Budget Highlights
- Flood mitigation including $11 million added by Board of Legislators for flooding along Mamaroneck Avenue from the Sheldrake and Mamaroneck Rivers
- $50 million for land acquisition and infrastructure improvements to support affordable housing, largest single-year commitment in County history
- $35 million to continue process of converting bus fleet from fossil fuel to hybrid and electric vehicles and install EV charging capacity at County's bus garages
- More than $57 million to modernize waste water treatment facilities including more than $22 million in additional odor control at Yonkers facility