Legislature Approves Joint Fiscal Task Force

The Rockland County Legislature voted at Tuesday’s meeting in favor of creating a joint 11-member Legislative-Executive Task Force focusing on fiscal improvement for the county.

The resolution states the task force is of the utmost necessity for the coordination of timely sharing of data and ideas between the legislative and executive branches of government. It also states that this will hopefully make the county more flexible and responsive, as well as help the county respond quicker to keep the county’s finances sound and protected.

The force will be made up of five legislators appointed by the legislative chair, including the majority and minority leaders of the legislature. Five representatives will be designated by the county executive’s office with the commissioner of finance as an ex officio member of the Task Force.

The vote passed 15-2 with Legislators Douglas Jobson and Patrick Moroney voting against it. Moroney said he felt the county already has enough task forces and he’s not sure another is really going to help.

The legislature ran through a number of other items at Tuesday’s meeting, including:

• Exempting the Crow House from taxation and removing it from the county’s tax rolls.
• The legislature approved appropriating the sum of $1,500 each to American Legion Naurashank Post 794 in Nanuet, Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A. Rockland-Orange District in New City and Raymond W. DeMeola VFW Post 1615 in Orangeburg for patriotic observances in 2012.
• Appropriation of federal forfeiture funds requested by the Office of the Sherriff to purchase equipment and supplies, as well as cover infrastructure costs and polygraph/police training for the Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Investigation Unit for $185,000.
• Appropriation of federal forfeiture funds requested by the Office of the District Attorney to purchase a live scan fingerprint machine, license plate readers and pole cameras for various police departments in Rockland for $172,249.
• Approving a one-year lease with option to renew for an additional year from April 15, 2012 to April 13, 2013 for an off-site women, infant and children program and clinic/services for the Department of Health with James J. Freeman in Haverstraw.