WHITE PLAINS – The 2017 Westchester County budget proposed by County
Executive Robert Astorino contains no property tax increase for the seventh
year in a row.
The $1.8 billion spending plan, which is up $800,000 from this year’s,
includes no cuts in services, no layoffs, no cuts in funding for non-profits
and no tuition hike for students attending Westchester Community College.
Astorino is counting on balancing the budget with $15 million as the year-one
payment as part of a new public-private partnership Westchester County
Airport operating agreement with Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. Over
a 40 year period, the agreement would see $140 million paid to the county.
The lease agreement is subject to the approval of the county board of
legislators and Astorino hopes lawmakers will keep an open mind.
“That is how we are keeping our parks and improving them, that is
how we are keeping our Bee-Line bus system without cutting routes, that
is how we are having no tax increase for the seventh straight year,”
he said. “So, it is incumbent upon us to fund new revenues that
do not affect taxpayers, and this is a perfect example of that.”
Gaining approval for the new airport operating deal may not be a slam-dunk
as a number of county Democrat legislators – Astorino is a Republican
– say they want a full vetting before they consider supporting it.
