City Council Passes Budget 6-1 With Gronowski Long No Vote

COUNCIL PASSES CITY BUDGET THAT PROVIDES RESOURCES FOR MAYOR TO RESTORE JOBS & SERVICES

Bi-Partisanship Effort Amongst Members is Key to Approval 

 The Yonkers City Council tonight voted 6-1 to approve the City’s FY 2010-11 Budget and provide the mayor with the necessary financial resources to restore essential services and jobs. Councilmember Joan Gronowski voted against its adoption.

     The budget’s passage follows an announcement earlier today by NYS Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, NYS Senator Jeff Klein, NYS Assemblyman Mike Spano and NYS Assemblyman Gary Pretlow that $36.4 million in educational aid was being returned to Yonkers for school funding.  

     The Council met last on Saturday, July 10 and voted against Mayor Phil Amicone’s proposed FY 2010-11 Budget that threatened to eliminate Yonkers Public School ’s pre-kindergarten, transportation and other programs that 26,000 students rely on.

     In addition to adopting the City’s new $894,144,192 million spending plan of which $481, 442, 497 is for the Yonkers Public Schools, the Council also approved an income tax surcharge that increases the state levy from 10 to15%.

     The revenue and labor cooperation will be used to retain all uniformed police employees and may be applied towards bringing back laid off public works employees, firefighters and detention officers. The city also hopes to add a new class of police officers in the next training academy in the near future to replace retiring officers. Decisions regarding the re-opening of a fire company and / or firehouse and additional garbage pickup have been deferred until the mayor concludes additional meetings with the city’s labor unions.

     Council President Chuck Lesnick remarked, “In the true spirit of bi-partisanship, the mayor and the City Council came together and voted a budget that has the potential to restore important jobs that contribute to our quality of life. However, it is unfortunate that we could not have a greater sense of finality today but it was crucial that we act now before the City runs out of money.”            

     Majority Leader Patricia D. McDow stated, “I want to first congratulate our state delegation for coming through with the Board of Education funds to provide for our students and teachers. I also want to commend Council President Lesnick and the entire City Council for working diligently to pass a responsible budget, and I hope that the mayor will continue to work with our labor unions to restore all of our city’s essential services.”