NEW CITY – During a contentious meeting this Tuesday, the Rockland County Legislature failed to override several vetoes made by County Executive Ed Day regarding the 2019 county operating budget.
In a series of votes that were cast almost completely along party lines several of the Executive’s grievances were upheld and alterations were made to the budget accordingly.
The first veto discussed overruled the legislature’s preference to enumerate the funds for contracted county organizations as individual line items. The original plan called for each organization to be allocated a specific amount of money that would be recorded in the budget. Day vetoed that decision and instead called for all the money allocated to contracted organizations be listed as one lump sum; the executive’s office would then distribute the money accordingly.
Many of the legislators took umbrage at this decision. Legislator Itamar Yeger described the executive’s actions as “dictatorial” and strongly urged his colleagues to overturn the decision.
Legislator Harriet Cornell reminded the assembly that the organizations in question operated on tight budgets and that it was necessary and fair that they know exactly how much funding they will receive at the start of the year.
Legislator Michael Grant accused the executive of having “a long history of undervaluing not-for-profits” and expressed concern that Day would improperly fund organizations at his own discretion.
Legislator Jay Hood echoed Grant’s concerns and promised to fight on behalf of any organization that did not receive its money.
Legislator Lon Hofstein and other members of the Republican minority seemed unconcerned with the veto, explaining that they had received personal assurances from the executive that each contracted organization would be properly allocated for. “Why do we have to question the character of our county executive?” questioned Hofstein, who complained that the conversation was becoming personal and vindictive. His colleagues responded that Day had previously derided the legislature’s actions as “irresponsible and illegal” and thus lowered the discourse. They also refuted those claims of Legislator Nancy Low-Hogan saying that their earlier decision “added no additional cost to the budget” and was completely legal. The motion to overturn the veto failed to achieve the necessary 12 votes.
The legislature also failed to overturn the executive’s veto regarding a new home-buying fee. The legislature originally decided to cancel the proposed fee, Grant describing it as “fundamentally unsound” and “a bogus revenue charger.” The legislator was concerned that the speculative revenue from the fee would actually create a deficit in the budget, casting doubt that the new tax would be able to pay for the bureaucracy necessary to enforce it. Despite these concerns the fee was adopted; however it still has not passed as a local law. The tax will only become applicable if passed by the legislature.
