By Dan Murphy
At their meeting on September 12, the Yonkers City Council unanimously approved a resolution opposing the creation of Congestion Pricing in New York City. A plan by New York State and the Metropolitan Transit Authority, MTA, to charge all vehicles a toll to travel in Manhattan south of 60th street.
The resolution reads, Janno Liber, CEO of the MTA, has recently suggested that New Jersey residents might get a break from the Congestion Pricing Plan, if the people of Yonkers are not accorded with the same benefit as New Jersey residents, the City Council is prepared to take legal action.
The resolution was introduced by City Council Majority Leader Tasha Diaz. “I have constituents that will be impacted, some who work for Federal Express in New York City and will not be reimbursed by their employers. I’m a fighter for Yonkers and if the Governor of New Jersey says he will fight to lower the cost for his people, I think Yonkers rates should also be lowered. This was introduced in the summer and pushed through quickly, with not enough study. More cities, like Mt. Vernon and New Rochelle, need to step up,” said Diaz.
Minority Leader Mike Breen said, “We are a border city, and a lot of Yonkers residents will be affected. We don’t know how much it will cost; I’ve heard $23.”
Councilman John Rubbo said, “This will have a negative impact on the Yonkers residents, and the small businesses from Yonkers that have to travel to New York City. “
Councilwoman Shanae Williams said, “Yonkers has a lot of people who work in New York City, and congestion pricing will have an impact on Yonkers families, who are already struggling with higher costs.
The City Council also approved a contract with the Yonkers Federation of Teachers, and the 2,000 teachers in the Yonkers Public Schools. The new contract dates from 2022-2027.
The contract was negotiated between the Trustees of the Yonkers Board of Education and the YFT. The City Council must approve all City employee contracts but is not directly involved in the negotiations. Details of the contract have not been made public.
