Eastchester REVIEW THE
August 31, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 36 | www.eastchesterreview.com
Shared services hearings close; county looks for savings By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
For the first time in more than a decade, Westchester Broadway Theatre will be showing “Phantom” beginning in September. For more, see page 6. Photo courtesy PhantomoftheOpera.com
First positive West Nile Virus case in Westchester Westchester County has learned of its first human case of West Nile Virus this year, which was confirmed in a 72-year-old Irvington resident who had been hospitalized, and is now recovering at home. The county Department of Health found no signs of mosquito breeding activity around the resident’s home but treated surrounding catch basins with larvicide. “This first case of West Nile Virus serves to remind all of us to take precautions against mosquito bites by removing standing water from our property after it
rains and using repellents when we spend time outdoors, especially from dusk to dawn, when mosquitoes are most active,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Sherlita Amler. The Health Department prepared for the mosquito season by educating the public through news releases, flyers, social media and its website, where a new report on mosquito control and surveillance can be found on the West Nile Virus page. The Health Department also gave 400 pounds of free fathead minnows to residents with ponds to reduce the mosquito population. The
minnows reduce the mosquito population by feeding on larvae and pupae before they emerge into adult mosquitoes. Throughout the season, the Health Department also traps and tests mosquitoes to track the presence of mosquito-borne viruses in the county. So far this year, West Nile Virus was identified in three batches of local mosquitoes out of 199 batches tested so far. Last year, West Nile Virus was identified in five local mosquito batches out of 380 submitted for testing and three people were diagnosed with the virus. West Nile Virus infection most
often causes a mild or moderate flu-like illness, but can be more serious particularly for people 60 and older, and those with other health complications. To learn how to reduce the chances for mosquitoes to breed and bite around your home, watch this short video at health. westchestergov.com/west-nilevirus and follow these tips: • Avoid the outdoors in the late afternoon and early evening when mosquitoes are active and feeding, and use insect repellents when outdoors during VIRUS continued on page 3
Westchester County has concluded its final round of public hearings on a shared services plan, prior to submitting its proposal to the state. The hearings mark the second year of discussions with the county’s 41 municipalities, after last year’s outcome produced a savings plan of $1.2 million under former County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican. As a result, those meetings were reconvened by current County Executive George Latimer, a Democrat, this year in search of additional savings. The meetings looked to provide input on a plan to cut government spending by sharing services, facilities and municipal equipment, if possible. “We are not approaching this as ‘us’ and ‘you,’ we are approaching this as ‘we,” Latimer said back in June. “And we are trying many things with that mindset, sitting down with our fellow local governments to find out what is the best way to do this.” The shared services plan would build on legislation signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, in May 2017 that creates a blueprint for counties to consolidate services in an effort to save on cost and efficiency. A subsequent piece of legislation passed this year was designed to assist the 23 remaining counties in the state who had not submitted a plan—last year 34 submitted ones—as well as allowing those who wished to revisit their 2017 proposed plans to do so. Additionally, the 2018 legislation calls for a three-year timeline for
counties to demonstrate implementation and proof of savings. “The shared services initiative empowers citizens to directly engage their local elected officials in finding ways to cut property taxes by reducing the cost of local government,” Cuomo said in May. The statewide legislation requires every county executive across the state to convene a panel made up of every chief elected official from every municipality and submit a plan to reduce the costs of services like sanitation, emergency medical care and police. As incentive, the state Legislature has set aside $225 million in matching funds for money that each county saves through consolidation plans. In Long Island, both Suffolk and Nassau counties have already passed their own shares services plans with the former saving an estimated $130 million in the first year due almost entirely to the decision to convert a sewage treatment plan into a pump station. The savings is derived from the disparity in cost between updating the sewage treatment plant— an estimate of $178 million— compared to diverting waste to a different treatment center which would cost $50 million. The Westchester panel will look to finalize a plan before a Sep. 15 deadline in which a proposal must be submitted to the state. If approved, the plan would be presented to the public in mid-October. Westchester faces its own set of financial woes with projections of a $32 million budget shortfall for 2018. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com