The Westchester Board of Legislators Monday unanimously reaffirmed five contracts for Invest in Kids programs in New Rochelle, White Plains and Peekskill.
The contracts had been placed back on the board agenda after the legislators approved them May 21 and County Executive Rob Astorino allowed them to become law without his signature. The reconsideration, which is allowed under the charter, was meant to override Astorino’s declaration in a letter to the board that he objected to language saying the board had to approve any changes in the contract.
It’s not clear how it will play out if Astorino tries to modify the contracts. If history is any guide in Westchester, it will end up in court.
Also Monday, the board unanimously approved agreements with Rye Brook, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown and Tuckahoe that will share revenue with local police who help enforce the county’s for-hire vehicle law, which regulates livery cars. The villages will receive 25 percent of the revenue from tickets.
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Here’s the Press Release regarding ‘’For Hire Vehicles’...
Legislator Sheila Marcotte Secures Passage of Deal to Create Revenue and Improve Road Safety
On Monday night, in a unanimous 16-0 vote, the Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) approved a series of four inter-municipal agreements (IMAs) that will immediately result in increased revenues for the county and the municipalities and at the same greatly improve the safety and security on our local roads. The four municipalities that will be participating in the IMAs are, Tuckahoe, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown and Rye Brook.
Under the terms of the agreements, the Westchester County Department of Public Safety will train municipal police departments in the enforcement of the Westchester County Taxi and Limousine Commission’s (TLC) laws governing For Hire Vehicles (FHVs), allowing municipal police to begin enforcing the laws within their municipalities. FHVs are commonly known as, livery cars, black cars or car services. The revenue derived from the fines associated with enforcement of the TLC’s laws would then be shared with 75% going to the county and 25% going to the municipalities. Because County Police do not patrol local municipal streets, the TLC’s laws are not being regularly enforced in Westchester’s towns and villages.
Legislator Sheila Marcotte (R-Tuckahoe), Vice-Chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee has been a tireless proponent of the IMAs. “The term ‘win-win situation’ is an overused cliche but it describes these agreements perfectly.” Marcotte said. “Not only does the enhanced enforcement of the TLCs laws mean that our roads will be safer, it also means that cash strapped municipalities and the county will derive significant new revenue from the increased policing of the FHV industry on our local roadways.”
A press release distributed earlier on Monday inaccurately stated that the IMAs originated in the Public Safety and Security Committee (PSS) when in fact they were sent to the BOL by County Executive Rob Astorino’s Administration in January. PSS Committee Chair Virginia Perez was instrumental in moving the IMAs through the committee process.
As Chair of the Public Safety and Security Committee, Legislator Virginia Perez (D-Yonkers), hailed the IMAs as an important step in ensuring the safety of FHV riders and those who share the roads with them. Legislator Perez said, “This agreement is a perfect example of how county government should be partnering with municipalities. Not only will this agreement make our roadways safer, it will provide significant revenue for both the county and participating municipalities during this critical time of economic hardship.” Legislator Perez added, “I am grateful to Legislator Sheila Marcotte for her diligent work in bringing this plan to fruition. There were a number of legislative and political roadblocks to contend with during this process but Legislator Marcotte and I recognized the tremendous benefits that these agreements would yield for all the parties involved. I am thrilled that we were able to come together and deliver these very important partnerships for the residents of Westchester County.”
Prior to the agreements, the Westchester County Police were almost solely responsible for the enforcement of FHV laws. Because County Police patrol our parkways, the TLC’s laws governing FHVs were largely unenforced on our town and village streets, leaving unlicensed, unregulated, unsafe and otherwise non-compliant livery cars to operate with limited oversight. Last year County Police issued 4,300 TLC violations. The current year revenue from fines associated with violations is $84,240. Under the IMAs the revenue is expected to climb to more than $140,000 in 2013 and is projected to reach $224,000 by 2016.
One of the municipal police forces has already been trained to enforce the FHV laws. The Village of Tuckahoe Police Department which is in Legislator Marcotte’s district has been issuing violations to offenders since that department’s officers were trained in January.
Tuckahoe Chief of Police, John Costanzo has been pushing for the county to pass the Legislation. Chief Costanzo said, “The enforcement of the Taxi and Limousine Commission laws is a tremendous tool for patrol officers to help keep the riding public safe, as well as a deterrent of criminal activity. The program is a great example of how sharing services between county and local municipalities benefits all.”
The four IMAs that were approved on Monday night represent a sample that will operate as a pilot program for a period of one year. Since the plan was proposed, a number of additional municipalities have shown an interest in participating. The BOL is currently considering approval of the same IMAs with the Village of Irvington and the Town of Bedford. A vote is expected on those IMAs at the next BOL meeting on Monday July, 9th.
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