Westchester County Exec. George Latimer is pitching his 2022 proposed Operating Budget with a $7 million dollar cut to the County property tax levy. This is the third County property tax cut in a row for Latimer. The $2.2 billion dollar proposed operating budget includes:
- Nonprofit and religious institution grant program and technical assistance funding - $17 million
- Childcare subsidy expansion - $5.6 million additional funding
- Enables more families to have childcare at a reduced cost for parents.
- Project alliance - $6.4 million-priority recommendation from the police reform taskforce
- Eight Mobile Crisis Response Teams across the County to assist with people in mental distress.
- Small landlord rehab assistance program - $1 million
- County will reimburse 75% of the cost of improvements made by qualifying landlords in exchange for keeping rents affordable for a period of 10 years.
- Healthcare equity and access - $6 million
- Funding for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Clinics for Infrastructure / Equipment / Telehealth Capacity and Outreach Improvements - $4 million
- Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Nurse Home Visiting Program - $1 million
- County (Senior) Telehealth Program - $1 million
- Department of emergency services tuition reimbursement pilot program for local volunteer firefighters and EMTs - $500,000
- Youth upliftment program - $500,000
- Program will identify pre-teens in middle school and focus on wellness, fitness and life skill training with mentoring and life coaches.
Earlier this month the County Executive released his 2022 Proposed Capital Budget. The fourth proposed Capital Budget of his administration emphasizes investments in affordable housing, hybrid and electric vehicles, and recreational facilities such as Playland, Memorial Field, and the completion of a continuous Bronx River Pathway from New York City to Kensico Dam Plaza. The proposed Capital Budget requested $476.4 million in new appropriations on an all funds basis for 2022:
- $291.9 million for general County purposes;
- $152.4 million for the sewer and water districts;
- $4.1 million for the refuse district; and
- $28.0 million for Westchester County Airport.
Latimer said, “Over the past four years we have made significant investments in our County’s infrastructure, while maximizing efficiencies to reduce costs, improved the County’s bond rating and we have done all of this while cutting County property taxes for our residents.”
Source: westchestergov.com