Council Adopts $152.5 Million Budget, 4.75% Tax Rate Increase

The White Plains Common Council passed the 2012-2013 City Operating Budget this evening. The budget contains no service reductions or lay-offs.

The General Fund Operating Budget totals $152.5 million. Only a third of the funds needed to run the City are provided by the property tax.   

The property tax levy is $50.8 million which is below the mandated New York State property tax levy cap.

The property tax rate is $184.47 per $1,000 in assessed valuation, an increase of 4.75%. The median single family home will see an increase of $112.00/year in city property taxes.

In addition to the General Fund Budget, the Council also adopted the Operating Budgets for the Library Fund, Self-Insurance Fund, Water Fund, and Sewer Rent Fund and approved the budget for the Debt Service Fund and the City’s Business Improvement District (WP BID). 

The City’s 2012-2018 Capital Improvement Program, which includes recommended projects for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, was adopted by the City’s Capital Projects Board and submitted to the Common Council in February of 2012.  That Program is incorporated into the City’s adopted budget. 

Mayor Roach said, “The City continues to take a fiscally prudent and responsible approach in managing its operations.  This budget contains no gimmicks or one-shots. We were able to trim expenses by identifying operating efficiencies and creative ways to provide services, and by carefully monitoring our expenses.”

Council President Beth Smayda said, “This budget represents a major step forward in returning the City to fiscal stability despite large pension cost increases and ongoing declines in the City's property tax base. Continued attention to implementing operational efficiencies will be necessary in coming years in order to remain within the property tax levy cap and increase reserves to levels sufficient to maintain the City's high grade Aa1 bond rating and guard against the impact of future economic downturns.”

Highlights of the 2012-13 Adopted Budget:

• Fiscally Responsible. This budget includes realistic estimates of revenue, does not fund tax certioraris with debt; does not incur debt to fund the City’s pension costs; and does not rely on an artificial “spin up” of state aid. This not only means that the City’s fiscal house is in order, but that the City is not taking actions today that would only serve to weaken it financially in the future

• Stable Bond Rating. White Plains’ fiscally conservative approach to budgeting has resulted in the reaffirmation of its very favorable bond rating of Aa1 by Moody’s. This occurs at a time when many municipalities have seen their bond rating downgraded. 

Programmatic Highlights – Doing More with Less:

• This past winter, the Department of Recreation & Parks took over the skate rental concession at Ebersole Ice Rink. Not only has this change resulted in operating efficiencies and budget savings, but the quality of the service received by the public at this popular facility has improved

• The Department of Recreation & Parks continuously evaluates its program offerings to ensure that they are most responsive to residents’ needs. This year, the Department will offer expanded youth sports introductory programming to pre-school children, it will continue to offer programming options to children with special needs and for the first time, the Department will sponsor a “Community Camp Out,” an overnight camping opportunity for families at Delfino Park in September

• The White Plains Public Library will expand its hours starting on July 1, 2012.  As a result of efficiencies gained through a partnership with the Westchester Library System and through the utilization of new technology, as well as an internal reorganization, the Library will be able to expand its current open hours by 20%

• The Youth Bureau will continue to offer, at the same level, all of its services including the popular after school centers and youth employment services

• The Department of Public Safety has utilized technology to create efficiencies by expanding the public’s access to reports and information online. It will also continue to offer two important and successful community outreach events: National Night Out and the Citizen’s Police Academy. Both of these focus on Public Safety’s interaction with the community with the aim of  maintaining and strengthening that relationship

• The Department of Public Works will expand its pilot program utilizing automated side loader garbage trucks. The City of White Plains is the only municipality in Westchester County that is using these single operator trucks for collection of garbage and recyclables. This program started last year as a pilot in certain neighborhoods and has been well received. It will be expanded later this year to additional neighborhoods

• The pilot program begun in 2011-2012 to combine the maintenance crews from the Departments of Parking and Traffic will continue, as it has resulted in more efficient provision of street and parking lot striping, sign fabrication and installation, and general maintenance activities

• Cost savings resulting from the replacement of the City’s traffic lights with LED bulbs is now being realized. This change over is expected to save the City $50,000/year starting with the 2012-13 budget. Additional savings will be realized with the replacement of the City’s street lights with LED’s, which will commence this year

• Cost savings are also being realized through the implementation by the City’s Information Services Department of Voice Over Internet Provider (VOIP) technology which reduces telephone costs.

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