Election Day Recap, Budget Review Subject Of Legislative Committees

The Rockland County Legislature’s Multi-Services Committee meets Tuesday night at 6 p.m. and will conduct a review of voting operations on Election Day.  Several Patch readers had commented about their difficulties voting or those of others that they observed.  Approximately, 69 percent of the county’s registered voters cast ballots.   

Multi-Services Committee members will consider a resolution supporting Israel’s right to defend itself. The committee will also vote on redesignating the county executive’s office as the tourism promotion agency for the county’s fiscal year 2012-2013.  The re-designation is required for the county to be eligible to apply for the maximum amount of state matching funds.  The same process was followed for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. 

The Budget & Finance Committee will meet at 7:15 p.m. It will hold a joint budget review meeting with Planning & Public Works, which begins its meeting15 minutes earlier. Legislators will vote on accepting a bid of $104,800 for construction work on the Eugene J. Grogan Correctional Center Storage Garage.  The bid from Helmer Cronin Construction of Stony Point is for the replacement of the roof and outside block wall covering.  It was one of nine bids.  The lowest bid was determined to be incomplete and Cronin had the second lowest bid.  Forfeiture funds from the sheriff’s department will pay for the work.

The Budget & Finance committee will accept a Disaster National Emergency Grant 0f $ 243, 638 from the New York State Department of Labor.  The money comes from the federal government and the state administers it.  The funds will reimburse municipalities for expenses resulting from 2011’s Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.  Monies will go to the Towns of Clarkstown, Stony Point and Ramapo and Village of Spring Valley. 

The committee will also vote on approving up to $60,000 in additional legal fees for Harris Beach PLLC of White Plains. Harris Beach is representing the county in a lawsuit filed by West Gate Landscaping Inc. West Gate is alleging the county wrongfully terminated its $908,000 contact for work on Nauraushaun Brook in 2001.

At 8 p.m., representatives of O'Connor Davies, LLP will review the proposed 2013 budget. Following that, legislators will hear a presentation by Paul Trader of the Cornell Cooperative Extension. The Public Safety Committee is the first to meet Tuesday at 5:15 p.m.