Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino in his 2011 State of the County address deemed the overall climate as “fortunate and fragile.”
Crowning achievements as of late came from the private sector, with Pepsi Beverages signing a new lease expanding its headquarters by about 40 percent and retaining some 900 jobs in Westchester.
Astorino touched on hospitals and educational institutions”™ role in driving economic growth, naming Hudson Valley Hospital Center”™s construction of a cancer center and Westchester Medical Center”™s selling of its bonds to investors to relieve the burden on the county, as examples.
The county executive reiterated his commitment to providing tax relief.
“This fall, I will submit a 2012 budget that once again will call for no hike in the county property tax levy,” he said, in the address.
However, he pointed out that the move will require the county to “live within its means,” forcing necessary cuts in spending.
Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins, D-Yonkers, said the legislature and county executive want the same goal: “a less expensive, more efficient government.”
Astorino said state mandates have consumed $416 million of county property tax dollars and with rising health care costs, the projected deficit for 2012 is $103 million.
He once again called on increased union contributions to health care plans, which would incur a savings for the county of $10 million and would lighten the need for union layoffs.
“We are fighting hard to keep jobs in and attract businesses to Westchester,” Astorino said, of spurring economic growth through a campaign, which hailed Westchester New York”™s Intellectual Capital.
The Democratic majority response was aligned with the county executive”™s remarks.
“Companies and major employers from the restaurant, retail, hospitality and technology industries are either coming to Westchester or deciding to stay here,” Majority Whip Judith Myers, D-Larchmont, said in a statement. “Understanding how this keeps revenue flowing into the area and keeps many of our residents employed, the Board of Legislators will continue to seek ways to make the county a welcoming and viable community in which businesses can operate.”
