Mutual cooperation on display at county executive’s office

A number of municipal leaders from across Westchester were invited to County Executive George Latimer’s office in White Plains for a review of county-municipal cooperation and infrastructure projects that have been undertaken in the more than six years of the Latimer administration. The projects have a combined cost of more than $893.5 million.

Latimer framed the gathering as being a follow-up to his State of the County Address and an opportunity to shed light on an area where government has been successfully working to produce results.

Joining Latimer in a display of mutual appreciation for what has been achieved by various government entities working together were Bedford Town Supervisor Ellen Calves, North Castle Supervisor Joe Rende, Rye Brook Mayor Jason Klein, Rye City Councilman Josh Nathan, White Plains Mayor Tom Roach and Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano.

Latimer declared that strategic planning coupled with cooperation with various localities has resulted in a “wave of transformative infrastructure initiatives.”

Latimer said that when the interests of the county and a municipality do not coincide it’s important to talk through the differences and see what can be done to provide the best outcome for the residents.

“Westchester County, unique amongst the counties in the downstate region of the state has already made commitments to share revenues with these local governments,” Latimer said. “We have right now within our sales tax structure … authority for Westchester County to levy a certain level of sales tax and then share that back with local government. Now the cities of Yonkers represented here today by the Mayor Mike Spano, the City of White Plains represented here by Mayor Tom Roach, the City of Mount Vernon and the City of New Rochelle are cities that have their own sales tax authority. But all the towns, there are 19 of them, all the villages, there are 20 of them, and the two small cities, Peekskill and the City of Rye … have not the ability to levy sales tax.”

Latimer said that the county sharing back part of its sales tax income with localities gives them a revenue stream that helps them do their job every day. By contrast, Latimer pointed out that counties such as Suffolk on Long Island and Sullivan further away in the Hudson Valley do not share sales taxes with localities.

Latimer recapped a host of the county’s capital projects that directly benefitted residents of various municipalities. Examples included Willson Woods Site Work in Mount Vernon at a cost of $10,400,000, the $40 million Memorial Field restoration in Mount Vernon, and work on the Tuckahoe Road Bridge over the Bronx River Parkway in Yonkers to the tune of $3,500,000.

Roach said that White Plains “is proud to have a strong partnership with Westchester County. We appreciate the county’s continued investment in its infrastructure and facilities. These critical investments enhance the quality of life for all White Plains and Westchester County residents.”

Rende praised Westchester County for supporting the Town of North Castle and its residents and noted that the county spent more than $3 million to build a new nature center at its 190-acre park in North Castle, the Cranberry Lake Preserve.

“This new nature center provides educational opportunities and a variety of new outdoor programming for our residents,” Rende said.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said, “Infrastructure improvements in Westchester’s largest city and economy are smart and lasting investments.”