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Orange County Executive Ed Diana said the county, like the country, is at a critical juncture.
To survive the financial turmoil, he last year instituted a number of cost-saving measures, some of which are now showing returns.
“In February 2008, we instituted a hiring freeze ”“ it is not a total freeze ”“ we continue to fill key positions. But where we have had a turnover of approximately 150 jobs due to retirement or going into the private sector, only one-third of those jobs were filled. And guess what? Government is working just fine…with a $674 million county budget, $230 million is in payroll (which includes $74 million in benefits) ”“ we are looking to cut corners without cutting services wherever we can.”
Diana made his comments before 250 people attending the Orange County Chamber of Commerce meeting on Feb. 17 at Kuhl”™s Highland House in Middletown.
Even one less light bulb can save the county money, Diana said.
“It may sound trite, but we took out every other light bulb in each office ”“ just a few pennies for each, but when we added it up, it was thousands of dollars in savings. Similarly, we have been using VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) as much as possible to limit the use of land line phones, saving over $60,000 last year.”
Diana has formed an Orange County Office of Business Development Retention, chaired by Maureen Halahan of the Orange County Partnership and James O”™Donnell from the county executive”™s office.
“Its job will be to help our long-term business community remain here and to bring new business here. The more businesses that come to Orange County, the less taxes our residents will pay.”
Diana announced that a task force would soon be convened to see how counties can consolidate police services.
“Do we all need our own jail? We can also share information about criminal activity with each other. A database is already in place to track people within our county; let”™s start tracking them when they cross the border into another county and share information with each other. It will help cut down on crime.”
Video taping of arraignments was also suggested as a way to save money and time spent on driving for police officers.
Diana, who has led the county since 2001, voiced concerns over the federal stimulus bill.
“We need it to jumpstart the economy, but Tim Gilchrist, who has been heading up the office to oversee the federal stimulus package in New York, has more than 1,500 projects on his desk. Now, why didn”™t each of the 62 counties give him a list of their ten most important projects rather than doing it this way? Rather than having potentially thousands of wish-lists, he”™d have a total of 620 projects each county deemed most important to its survival.”
Diana said he is also concerned Gov. David Paterson will take the federal stimulus money to close the state”™s own financial deficiency.
“Needed right in the county are ”¦ a transportation hub for the city of Middletown and a rail spur from Stewart Airport to the railroad in Salisbury Mills,” among others, he said.
Saying Orange County is already facing millions of dollars in cuts from the state, “we can”™t afford to take any more,” Diana said. He used Valley View Nursing Home as one example.
“We can”™t take a $3 million hit right now. Over the last seven years, there”™s been less and less financial help to run the facility. We know the state is having a hard time, but this is hurting our most vulnerable population.”
As for the so-called “mobility tax,” Diana declared it to be anti-development, anti-common sense and a job-killing proposal.
“Rockland, Dutchess, Putnam and Orange; four counties share one vote on the MTA board. Give us each a full vote.”
He urged anyone who can attend the final MTA public hearing on March 2 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Newburgh at 6 p.m. to be there to let the MTA know its proposal is “taxation without representation.”
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