OH! We have a Budget!

MY, MY, Nieces and Nephews, it seems that we do have a 2015 budget for the county of Orange, after all.

Some of the cost cutting measures are funding Valley View until the month of May, which is more generous than the month of April that the previous County Executive provided in his budget. There is a tax increase of 1.56% and vacant positions are no longer funded. (silly to pay people who aren't there).

Also discussed was the sale of surplus county property and how the sale of Valley View would rake in about $15 million in proceeds (one time influx of revenue). Another possibility is to increase the sales tax rate to 4%, which would bring in about $14 million dollars a year (which varies year to year, but is a continuous influx of revenue).

L. STEPHEN BRESCIA SAID, “I support many of the cuts. They will be hard and deep. There are very few options available to balance the budget. We have many excellent opportunities for the purchase of Valley View nursing home. They must be given serious consideration as part of this budget proposal”

Tsk, Tsk, Tsk! L. Stephen, Society owes a special duty to the ill and infirmed. Like it or not.

L. Stephen, would it have not been better to say: "I support many of the cuts...and we have an opportunity to increase revenue without a dramatic impact on Orange County residents by increasing the sales tax from 3.5% to 4%"?

And speaking of cuts and efficiencies, what have you and the County Executive, Stevie Thunderous and District Attorney Davy Hoovler, done about these examples of inefficiencies?

From the Comptrollers Office (with SPECIFIC references, not the generic ones give by the CE)

Audit No: 2011M-40

Audit Year: 2011

Release Date: 07/22/2011

Audit Name: Orange Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation (County)

Report: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/audits/counties/2011/orangecounty.pdf

Summary:

We determined that the two golf courses operated by the County performed poorly compared to national averages. We estimated that the County-run golf courses could have collected an additional $578,638 in net income during 2008 and 2009 if the courses had achieved the national average percentages for operating margin

 Table 1: Operating Margins and Net Income and Table 2: Actual and Projected Net Income basically show that the two county owned golf courses have been operating at a loss!

STATE COMPTROLLER: "Because County officials have not established operating margin as a performance measure that they would monitor, they were unaware of these discrepancies. We estimated that the County-run golf courses could have collected an additional $578,638 in net income during 2008 and 2009 if the courses had achieved the national average percentages for operating margin" 

$578,638? Why there's a half million right there!!!

Golf Courses, County-owned with no plans to sell them.

Nursing Home for the infirmed, the elderly, the handicapped, our Veterans and more? County- owned with a major push to sell it.

At least our County leaders have their priorities in the right place, after all, what would happen if all these golfers were let loose on society because they couldn't afford the more expensive fees a privately owned golf course might charge? We would be in danger of seeing miles of BMWs,  Cadillacs and County Cars lined along the roads of Orange County with golfers falling out, in a semi-daze, seeking medical attention and rehab. Thank goodness, that's not going to happen!!!

Here is Steve at the golf course, selling his signature collection of golf balls. Pictured with supporters and his caddy, first on the right.

                                                                               
P.S.
Regarding Stevie's statement: "Last week, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli raised Orange County’s “fiscal stress” score by more than 50 percent based on 2012 to 2013 ratings" (not specific) press release 10-1-14

From the Comptrollers "Fiscal Stress Monitoring System" 2012 list: Orange County was listed as "no designation" as opposed to "significant, moderate or susceptible" to fiscal stress.  (You can find it yourself, Dain). From the 2013 list: Orange County was listed as "susceptible" to fiscal stress, with the lowest score out of all of those listed (lower is better). It was not an increase of more than 50%

Again, we ask at what information are you looking? Or are you really just making it up?

Maybe if these ratings services observed some TRUE leadership in Orange County, our score would improve.

Go get'em Stevie! Get 'er done!