Hauppauge, NY – Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy today said he has vetoed four pieces of legislation he said would be costly and inefficient to the taxpayers, and challenged legislators to remain focused on addressing the county’s projected budget shortfall for 2010 and 2011.
“Nearly eight months into the year, we have yet to see from the Legislature any proposals that would cut our costs or streamline operations,” said Levy. “The common theme in these resolutions that I have rejected is that they lead to a more costly, less efficient government -- in a day and age where we need less cost, and more efficiency.”
Leading up to next Tuesday’s legislative meeting, Levy has issued the following vetoes:
I.R. 1164
Sponsored by Legislator Jack Eddington, this charter law would require manpower and deployment changes by the Police Commissioner to be subject to legislative approval.
In his veto message, Levy noted the measure: “…is based upon unfounded assertions, weakens the county’s standing in collective bargaining, and is unwise public policy that benefits the police bargaining unit to the detriment of the taxpayers we were elected to serve.”
Levy said that in 2009, through his negotiations, county taxpayers received $12 million worth of concessions from the PBA in exchange for an agreement on maintaining certain units and commands through 2015; this resolution, he said, would grant those provisions in perpetuity to the PBA for nothing in exchange.
The county executive also noted that the legislation specifically cites the September 2008 redeployment of the Highway Unit from state-owned roads. “…it is time for legislators to give up the Highway Patrol battle on behalf of the PBA and recognize that in two years we have saved taxpayers money, we have been able to provide the same service on state roads and we have gained the service of 55 police officers in our local precincts,” he wrote.
Levy added that the resolution seeks to curb the flexibility and management efficiencies the department has used to control both crime and taxes. He noted that since taking office in 2004:
- Overall crime has decreased by 17.5% (2009 compared to 2003);
- Part I crime has decreased by 11% (murder/manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft) over that same period;
- A greater percentage of police officers are on Sector Patrol (64%, compared to 50% in 2003);
- Centralized, specialty units on gangs, heroin and quality-of-life crimes have been created and deployed as needed to target areas;
- Overtime costs have decreased over the last three years;
- The annual rate of growth in police department spending has been curtailed to approximately 2% (compared to a previous average of more than 6%).
I.R. 1407
This resolution, sponsored by Presiding Officer Bill Lindsay, purports to achieve cost savings through use of light duty officers in various functions. However, Levy said, the measure would hamper efforts to civilianize 50 positions this year in the police department.
“This is the exact antithesis of smart management through civilianization, and a most ineffective method of deploying sworn staff,” Levy said. “
The measure would require the department, before civilianizing a position, to assign a light duty officer to those functions.
Since light duty officers are frequently re-classified, once that officer is reassigned the post may have to be filled by a full duty officer, since a civilian who would have been on the job will no longer be available.
I.R. 1450 and I.R. 1490
These two resolutions, sponsored by Legislator DuWayne Gregory, require the administration to fully execute all not-for-profit agency contracts within 30 days (IR 1450) and to pay not-for-profit agency invoices within 30 days (IR 1490).
Levy deemed both measures “solutions in search of a problem.”
The measures, he said, ignore the fact that his administration has streamlined the process – in working with not-for-profit agencies – to the point where agencies can receive a signed contract within six to eight weeks of the start of the year – far better than the New York State system which is late more than 82 percent of the time in meeting its self-imposed 150-180 day standard.
“Most outrageous is the clause in the payment resolution that will penalize Suffolk taxpayers with an interest charge on the county if the Comptrollers office and Treasurer’s office could not meet the 30-day payment requirement,” said Levy. The Legislature’s own Budget Review Office estimated the interest surcharge that taxpayers would bear would be more than $640,000 over five years.