On Monday, Dec. 9, the Westchester
County Board of Legislators
voted 15-1 to pass the county’s
2020 operating, capital and special
districts budgets.

The $2.1 billion operating budget,
which includes a $1 million
cut to the county property tax levy,
continues work begun last year to
strengthen the county’s finances.
The 2020 budget uses no oneshot
revenues and contains no borrowing
to fund operating expenses.

It also adds $10 million to the county’s
fund balance. 2020 will be the
second year in a row that the county
has added to its rainy day funds, after
years of declines under the prior
administration. Rebuilding the
county’s fund balance is essential to
protecting the county for the future
and improving the county’s credit
rating, which keeps county borrowing
costs low.

“We began the legislative term
with a goal of stabilizing the county’s
finances while continuing to
provide essential services to the
people of Westchester,” said Board
Chairman Ben Boykin. “Today
we’re passing budgets that do just
that—reducing the property tax
levy, replenishing the County’s
fund balance, providing new revenue
to local municipalities and
school districts, investing in our
children, and enhancing services
for the people of Westchester.”

The budget strengthens crucial
services for Westchester families,
especially in the area of child care,
including increased support for
the county’s Invest in Kids programs.
There’s also more funding
for nonprofit organizations which
provide early childhood support
programs. The budget also includes
an increase in the reimbursement
rate paid to child care providers,
to make it easier for parents to find
affordable, high quality child care
and easier for providers to recruit
and retain qualified workers who
are being lost to higher paying jobs
in other areas, like New York City.
The 2020 operating budget
also increases money available for
eviction prevention programs, expanding
legal help for those facing
eviction in Yonkers, and extending
that support to Mount Vernon, Ossining
and Peekskill.

The programs
help people remain in their homes,
saving the county millions of dollars
annually by keeping families
out of the shelter system.
There’s also additional help for
legal services for domestic violence
survivors and for community health
centers and criminal justice reform.
The capital budget commits
$20 million to county funds that
support the creation of new units
of affordable housing. It also continues
efforts begun last year to
accelerate long-lingering projects
needed to repair and improve county
roads, bridges, parks, and refuse
and wastewater treatment facilities.
Among other efforts, these include
commitments to renovate Memorial
Field in Mount Vernon and reconstruct
the South County Trailway.

“I’m pleased that we’ve been
able to cut the county property tax
levy and put money into the county’s
reserves, while increasing
the commitment to our nonprofit,
community-based partners,” said
Majority Leader Catherine Parker.
“These organizations provide
cost-effective, indispensable support
to working people in Westchester
in areas of health care, domestic
violence support, the arts, and especially
affordable, high-quality child
care, which is the foundation on
which Westchester’s future will be
built.” (Submitted)