Special Legislative Meeting To Vote On Deficit Resolutions

The Rockland County Legislature will meet Tuesday night to vote on a number of resolutions related to the county's deficit. The special meeting is listed as a "midyear budget adjustment." On the agenda are resolutions put .

Several resolutions deal with the county's Home Rule request. One resolution states the legislature thinks the best option for the residents of the county is to request Home Rule legislation. The resolution states that it would permit the county to “finance its deficit by issuing bonds and increase the current sales and compensating use tax rate by an additional three-eighths of one percent.”

The legislation goes on to say that the county would use any additional revenue from the increased tax to pay the 2012 operating costs for the county, and to pay any indebtedness incurred as a result of the legislation.  It also states that excess funds, if any, to be used to pay any other bonded indebtedness of the county.

The next resolution requests that the New York State Legislature introduce Home Rule legislation that would permit Rockland to finance its deficit by issuing bonds.

The legislature will also vote on a resolution giving the commissioner of finance for the county “the power to authorize from time to time during the fiscal year of 2012,  the sale and issuance of not to exceed $35 million in revenue anticipation notes of the County of Rockland, New York, in anticipation of the receipt of county sales and compensating use tax revenues, mortgage recording tax revenues, and revenues to be received from the State of New York and from the United States of America during the fiscal year of said county during which such sale and issuance shall be authorized or for the fiscal year during which such notes shall be issued and sold.”

Another resolution calls for amending the 2012 budget in regards to contract agencies, with the execution of contracts in excess of $100,000 with contract agencies during the calendar year 2012 both within the county and outside it. The total amount, according to the legislation, comes to $300,000, which will be transferred to the county’s contingency department.

The legislature will also vote to apportion certain election expenses incurred by the Board of Elections to the various towns in the county. The expenses being voted on are:

• Voting systems and machine technician (2)
• Election/poll workers
• On-site custodians and on-site software support
• Operational supplies and transporting voting machines
• Rental of election sites
• Voting machine storage costs, including utilities

Another resolution states the commissioner of finance is authorized to charge the towns amounts paid by the county for the cost of education county residents incur at out-of-county community colleges. The county has been paying the chargeback, the difference in tuition betweeen Rockland Community College and other county community colleges when a Rockland resident enrolls.  

The legislature will also vote to set a date for a public hearing about a proposed motor vehicle tax. It meets at 7 p.m. tonight in New City.