Kaplowitz Hired to Continue Service to Westchester
Standing with small business owner Ronnie Ram at his business Inspiria Outdoor Advertising, his employees, and not-for-profit and business leaders throughout Westchester, County Executive George Latimer said: “This is good, positive, progressive policy coupled with good fiscal policy done in a bi-partisan fashion.”
The $2.1 billion budget includes a $1 million cut to the Westchester County property tax levy, and while the tax cut is less than one-tenth of 1 percent (0.10 percent), it represents an example of how Latimer has been able to keep his promise on property taxes, fund county government without borrowing, add to the rainy day fund, and put a down payment on capital projects.
The creation of this year’s county budget began in the summer, when Westchester County was granted a 1 percent increase in the sales tax, for all Westchester towns and villages – but not the cities of Yonkers, New Rochelle, While Plains and Mt. Vernon. The four cities already had an 8.375 percent sales tax rate, and now all of Westchester has that rate.
The one penny sales tax increase, under the Westchester County Property Taxpayer Protection Act, shares back 20 percent to municipalities and 10 percent to school districts. The additional projected revenue has allowed local government and school districts in Westchester to keep their budget tax increase below the tax cap or at 0 percent.
And for those complaining about the ever-increasing property tax bill that Westchester that homeowners are forced to bear, Latimer’s budget keep county property taxes flat for 2020 – with a promise to do the same in 2021.
“While we committed to at least a freeze of county property taxes, we went even further and cut the county’s property tax levy by $1 million,” said Latimer. “This budget is about the people who live in Westchester County, it is about giving them some property tax relief while at the same time working to make their county the best it can be – by providing services and programs taxpayers rely on while placing the county back onto solid financial ground.”
Latimer has directed that $10 million be added to the county’s “rainy day fund,” bringing it up to $79 million – a 23 percent increase from just one year ago. The 2020 budget also features zero borrowing for operating expenses. All ongoing expenses, including pension obligations and tax certioraris, will be paid for, saving taxpayer dollars in the long term.
“Let me give a cautionary note to everything in this budget – there are storm clouds out there and we must be prudent people,” said Latimer. “We do not know how the state will close its budget gap. We will work the state delegation and the governor, but there is no guarantee what happens a year from now.”
After the rash of hate crimes in the county, Latimer is also refocusing on the county’s Human Rights Commission and adding the position of hate crime specialist to the department. Additionally, dollars have been set aside for anti-bias educational programs for schools and college campuses.
In the county’s nationally accredited Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department, on the heels of a banner year at Playland, with the highest attendance for the past four years, Latimer is continuing to invest in the park this time by increasing Playland’s marketing budget by $250,000, bringing the total amount to $1.2 million in 2020. Three curators will also be added to the Parks Department to be rotated among facilities to have seven-day curator coverage. Additionally, a maintenance employee will be added at Hilltop Hanover Farm.
The Invest in Kids programs will be expanded to include pilot programs that will allow innovation and will not be limited to geography or socioeconomic patterns. Invest in Kids was established under the Westchester County Youth Bureau Charter as a mechanism for provision of local tax levy financial resource for expanded use of the positive youth development model in addressing the needs of at-risk youth under the age of 21.
Additionally, the budget is making significant changes to how the county administers its daycare program by reducing the parent contribution for child care from 27 percent to 25 percent, eliminating hourly billing and granting a 6 percent provider increase.
The 2020 county budget also earmarks money for stepping-up county customer service initiatives for Bee-Line and Paratransit.
The County Board of Legislators adopted Latimer’s budget by a 15-1 vote, with few changes, and with Legislator Damon Maher voting “no”, and Legislator Virginia Perez absent.
With little opposition to his budget, nor any opposition in county government to the sales tax increase in exchange for no property tax increase for two years, Latimer continues to exchange with anyone who disagrees with his proposals online and in social media.
The disagreements and exchanges mainly focus on the salary increase for county legislators and county department commissioners, deputies, and members of the county executive’s staff and inner circle.
The problem with these objections is that they come, in part, from members of former County Executive Rob Astorino’s administration, who benefitted from the last-minute job parachute into the county’s Board of Elections.
In his final days of office in 2017, Astorino – long a fiscal conservative who held the line on property taxes by not increasing the size of county government – agreed to a deal with democrats in which 20 positions would be created at the Board of Elections, 10 for democrats and 10 for republicans. The republicans appointed to the BOE were members of Astorino’s administration in search of a county job. Those allies got a job averaging $100,000 per year.
Their new positions enabled them to continue to get closer to a pension, and has cost the Westchester taxpayers more than $5 million in three years.
So anyone who challenges Latimer on the fact that he raised the sales tax by 1 percent in exchange for no increase to county taxes for two years cannot be taken seriously, at least by this newspaper. “I think it bothers them that we have done such a good job,” said Latimer in a recent conversation with Rising newspapers. “In 2019 the voters of Westchester County endorsed what we are doing.”
Another decision by Latimer that we support is his recent announcement that County Legislator Michael Kaplowitz will stay in county government, serving as deputy commission of environmental facilities. Kaplowitz announced his retirement from the county board earlier this year after 22 years.
Kaplowitz will use his financial and legal background to evaluate the financial and governance issues related to sewer districts and the costs and benefits of consolidations.
“The challenges we are asking Mike to take on now are very difficult but there is not a finer person to take them on,” said Latimer. “His intellect, public commitment and knowledge of the county make him perfectly prepared to do this.”
Kaplowitz said: “After 22 years of public service as a county legislator, it was bittersweet to cast my last vote as my colleagues and I passed the 2020 budget. I am proud of the work I’ve done on behalf of the residents of this great county and I look forward to continuing to serve Westchester in my new role. I’m excited about the challenge to find cost savings and consolidation efficiencies within the Department of Environmental Facilities. I want to thank County Executive George Latimer, my long-time mentor, for this opportunity.”
Kaplowitz’s education and expertise as an attorney and certified financial planner led to his appointment as chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee in 2003. He is a long-time environmentalist and is also a past chairman of the Westchester County Legislature’s Environment & Energy Committee.
The hiring of Kaplowitz by Latimer shows his continued willingness to hire former elected officials with experience, regardless of their political past. Kaplowitz fell out of favor with many Westchester democrats after he joined with republicans on the County Board to form a bi-partisan majority in 2014, a result of which made him County Board chairman, where he served for four years.
Kaplowitz has always been a voice of reason and moderation and financial acumen in county government, and we applaud his hiring by Latimer.
