Council Overrides Amicone Veto and Passes Their Budget

The Yonkers City Council held a special meeting today and voted to override Mayor Phil Amicone’s veto of the city budget, which was amended by the council to include $7 million in cuts, and a reduction in the tax increase from 6.6 percent to 5.75 percent. The council cuts also eliminated the need to increase the unpopular income tax surcharge.

The council passed their version of the budget last week, with the mayor vetoing the budget this week, saying that he cannot sign a budget with the $2 million in cuts to police overtime.

Council Overrides Amicone Budget, 5-2

The Yonkers City Council held a special meeting last Friday to override Mayor Phil Amicone’s veto of the budget passed by the council, who cut an additional $7 million to reduce the property tax increase to 5.75 percent and eliminate the income tax surcharge increase.

The mayor had vetoed based on the $2 million in cuts to police overtime. But the veto was a dangerous move because five members of the council had already approved the budget, and the same five voted to override.

So while this turned out to be a symbolic move for the mayor, it also allowed the council to override his veto and highlight the fact that they had passed a budget without the mayor’s support.

Here’s the council veto override release:

 

 

 

CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO OVERRIDE MAYOR’S BUDGET

 

 

 

Council’s Budget Lowers Taxes & Saves Jobs

 

 

 

Yonkers, New York: June 26, 2009 – The Yonkers City Council this morning voted 5-2 in favor to override the mayor’s veto of the budget that was passed by the council last Saturday and subsequently vetoed by Mayor Phil Amicone on Wednesday, June 24. Council members Gronowski and Majority Leader Sandy Annabi voted against the measure.

Today’s vote to override the mayor’s veto was the right thing to do in these hard economic times. When we requested this mayor to come to the table and make meaningful cuts to his own budget he refused to do so. Instead, he left the difficult work to the council to write a budget and manufactured a crisis.

This city council recognizes that many Yonkers’ families are struggling today more than folks have endured in several generations. Job losses, foreclosures and mounting bills are part of the new reality in Yonkers as they are across the country. In such times, it falls upon all elected officials to strike the necessary balance, between providing and properly funding necessary government services, while not adding further burdens upon the backs of our taxpayers. In such times, the ability to act and demonstrate true leadership is more than warranted – it is expected.

Sadly, this mayor made the unfortunate decision to blame the city council for its recent decision to pass what many consider a prudent budget that aims to lessen property tax increases and make the necessary minimum cuts. The council also stood firm against the mayor’s proposed 50% increase in the city portion of the state income tax surcharge which would have taken several hundred dollars out of the paycheck of just about every person who lives or works in Yonkers.

 

 

 

With the mayor’s veto, at his well staged press conference on Wednesday morning, he proved that he would rather continue to employ fear tactics that suggest that the council’s cuts will cause crime to rise with fewer patrol officers available to protect the city. Such allegations are not only unreasonable and worrisome — they are outrageous and irresponsible. Our citizens know that this city council has always recognized the need to staff our police and fire departments at more than just the acceptable levels. We have continued to approve police and fire academy classes to join our city’s ranks. And just as our public safety departments deserve to be properly staffed, we have taken our responsibilities to our communities equally serious and have worked together to expeditiously approve

grants and ordinances that have bettered our neighborhoods. Our resident’s safety has always been our top priority.

This year, our police commissioner recommended that the council pass $10.8 million in police overtime. This council passed a budget allocating $9.8 million in overtime – only one million less than what the commissioner requested. For the mayor to politicize this issue is both dangerous and reckless. In short, it is the mayor that failed to do what his office mandates — not the city council.

With the mayor’s veto of our city’s budget for 2010 this week, the mayor chose to play politics rather than make the tough decisions and played the politician’s blame game.

Rather than come to the table and negotiate, he chose to craft a public relations campaign meant to scare our citizens. Such behavior is shameful and unfortunate forour city, our residents and our workforce.

 

 

Mayor Amicone Vetoes Budget — Council Expected to Override

Mayor Amicone announcing veto of budget

 

 

Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone vetoed the budget returned by the City Council for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The mayor cited public safety concerns over the council’s cut of police overtime as the overriding reason for the veto. The mayor’s detailed response, with specifics, is printed below.

The mayor’s veto may not have had any teeth because there appears to be five council votes needed to override Amicone’s pen. The five would be the same five that voted for the budget — Council President Chuck Lesnick and councilmembers Liam McLaughlin, Dee Barbato, John Murtagh and Patricia McDow.

The mayor needs one of the five on the council who voted for the budget to flip and not vote for the override. This appears unlikely with only one council member questioning the police overtime cut.

An agreement between the two sides is still possible, but unlikely.

Look for the council to call a special meeting and override the mayor’s budget on Friday or Monday.

McLaughlin, the chairman of the council’s budget committee, called on the mayor to make cuts to his staff if he wants to save the police overtime. “There a lot of people in the mayor’s office making $100,00 per year, and I don’t know what they are all doing. If he [Amicone] wants to save the police overtime, then cut some of the patronage jobs on the second floor.”

Citing Public Safety, Mayor Vetoes 2010 Budget

Amicone says budget would decimate police services & harm quality of life

Mayor Phil Amicone announced today that he will veto the Fiscal Year 2010 Operating Budget that was sent to him by the City Council three weeks late, citing the severe impact the budget would have on public safety and quality of life throughout the city.“The City Council has made compromises in this budget with regard to the public’s safety and welfare that I find completely unacceptable. They have made service cuts that will undoubtedly impact quality of life all across our city for the worse. I cannot in good conscience sign this budget into law,” the mayor explained.

Municipal services most adversely affected by the City Council’s budget cuts fall within the police department, which had $2.2 million-or 18%- slashed from its overtime budget. The overtime cuts would impact nearly every aspect of police operations including foot posts, neighborhood patrols, traffic details, anti-crime units, anti-drug units, and security at special events. Details follow.

-Elimination of the precinct Anti-Crime Units – 2 sergeants and 4 police officers
-Elimination of the Domestic Violence Unit – 4 police officers
-Unable to provide additional police coverage at special events
-Transfer two detectives to Field Services
-Reduction of Housing Unit police officer minimums
-Transfer a police officer from the Criminal ID Unit to late tour patrol
-Transfer a police officer from the Criminal ID Unit to early tour patrol
-Transfer a police officer from the NYSPIN Unit to late tour patrol
-Transfer two police officers from the Traffic Unit to patrol
-Transfer a sergeant to late tour Communications Division
-Transfer a sergeant from the Traffic Unit to Patrol
-Transfer a sergeant from the Housing Unit to Patrol
-Reduce minimum manning level in Detective Division by one detective

TOTAL POLICE CUTS: $2,200,000

The police department wasn’t the only one cit hard by the City Council’s budget. A 2% across-the-board cut to most city departments will result in many other citywide service reductions, some of which are listed below.City Council Budget Cuts (non-public safety):

-Cut at least half of the community group funding through parks department
o Boy’s & Girls Clubs (12 in total)
o My Sister’s Place
o Yonkers Philharmonic
o African American Heritage Festival
o Youth Theater Interaction
o Puerto Rican / Hispanic Day Parade & Festival
o Untermeyer Performing Arts Council
o Cultural concerts (Italian, Irish, etc.)
o Youth programs (Global Basketball, Westchester Invaders, Runyon Heights, etc.)
o Recreational programs (Westside Tennis, Yonkers Kayak Club, etc.)
-$1.2 million cut to affordable housing projects
-Elimination of grant matches for senior citizen services
-Elimination of support services for internet-based city services
o Online cahier payments for city taxes, parking fines, violations, etc.
o Action Center / 311 Help Line
o GIS services (property / tax records)
-Delay in implementing court-ordered firefighter civil service examination
-Elimination of building department’s 24-hour Heat & Oil Program
-Code enforcement reductions (litter, noise violations, consumer protection, etc.)

Mayor Amicone continued to assail the City Council budget, “These cuts would affect everything from youth programs to maintenance of public facilities. They would profoundly impact quality of life in Yonkers by impeding our ability to enforce city code requirements, construct new affordable housing and continue key economic development initiatives. These cuts are extremely shortsighted and would cause more damage to the city over the long term than the minimal savings they would produce in the short term.”

The City Council failed to meet its City Charter mandated deadline to adopt a budget by June 1, finally passing a scaled back version of the budget three weeks late on June 20. The Council’s delay and inaction has pushed the city to the brink since the budget must still be sent to the state comptroller for final certification.

The budget now goes back to the City Council for reconsideration. Five votes are needed to override a mayoral veto.

 

The budget, which would have included a 5.75% property tax increase, is markedly different than the one Amicone sent to the City Council and then revised more than two months ago. It would dramatically cut back on city services, most notably within the city’s police department, eliminating some units and posts altogether.