(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.

(WHITE PLAINS, NY) The Westchester County Citizens Budget Advisory Committee’s (CBAC) findings were bleak. Today, in a report to the Board of Legislators Committee on Budget & Appropriations, CBAC outlined their take on the 2018 Proposed Budget.

(WHITE PLAINS, NY) After a thorough review of the Astorino Administration’s proposed 2018 Operating Budget, Westchester Democrats have discovered a potential budget gap in the range of roughly $120M-$155M. A gap of this size will take time to fix - with the fiscal impact being an Astorino tax increase of nearly 30%.

In a unanimous vote Monday night, Westchester County Legislator David Tubiolo (Yonkers & Mount Vernon), Chair of the Board’s Committee on Seniors & Constituencies, joined with his colleagues in passing a Local Law that will extend the County’s property tax exemption for Cold War Veterans.

(WHITE PLAINS, NY) “From the self-imposed fiscal crisis the Astorino Administration has left us in to the inclusion of irresponsible revenue sources in this budget - it is clear we have some real work to do on behalf of the people of Westchester County. The attempted use of $30 million of revenues reserved for the airport is bad budgeting, fiscally reckless, and exactly what the voters made clear they were fed up with. Our budget must reflect the fiscal priorities we hold as a County including keeping taxes in check while providing the essential services taxpayers are longing for, negotiating in good faith with our unions, putting our environment before corporations while also create a business-friendly climate, and looking out for Westchester’s working families. We Democrats at the Board are eager to get to work with all of colleagues as well as County Executive-Elect Latimer to fight for these values.”