Legislative Committees Vote On Joining Water Rate Hike Opponents

The Rockland County Legislature’s Budget & Finance Committee will vote tonight on whether the county should join the municipal consortium opposing United Water’s rate hike request. The resolution before the committee would authorize the county to contribute to the legal fees for fighting the 29 percent rate hike increase. 

Numerous towns and villages have already signed on to share in the $90,000 cost to hire attorney Daniel Duthie. The county’s contribution is not specified in the resolution. The resolution to join the municipal consortium will first go before the Environmental Committee at 5:30 p.m. That committee also will vote on a resolution asking the Public Service Commission to reject United Water’s requested surcharge for the pre-construction costs of the proposed Hudson River desalination plant and its rate hike application.

When the committee meets at 7:15 p.m. its members will take up a motion to abolish more than 50 vacant and unfilled positions that are still included in the county’s current budget.  The savings from the vacancies in the District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Department Youth Bureau, hospital and departments of health, social services, mental health and general services are approximately $3.3 million for the remainder of the year. The action would credit the salary savings of each unfilled position and credit it to that department’s budget. 

Legislators will vote on resolutions asking the state assembly, senate and governor to act on bills concerning the MTA Payroll Tax. The assembly has pending bills to  exempt community colleges from the MTA Payroll Tax and phase out the tax beginning in 2014. The resolutions before the legislature ask the assembly to pass those bills and for the senate to introduce and approve similar legislation and the governor to sign. 

Other committees are meeting as well. Economic Development meets at 6:30 p.m. and Planning & Public Works meets at 7 p.m.