Latimer to Take Ten Percent Pay Cut:
"Difficult Choices for Difficult Times"

(November 8, 2002 ) Westchester County Legislator George Latimer announced yesterday that he would voluntarily accept a ten percent cut in pay as a symbolic gesture towards closing the one hundred million dollar gap between revenues and expenses looming in the County budget. (See November 7 Press Release.)

Latimer, who has represented Rye, Larchmont, Mamaroneck and parts of New Rochelle for the past eleven years, receives a $43,000 salary and would be turning back around $4,300. The offer is meant to "begin the process of sacrifice" that will be required to address this year's budget challenges.

This is not the first time Latimer has voluntarily lowered his pay. Eleven years ago, when he first became a county legislator, he refused to accept the customary $60 payment for attending committee meetings. His colleagues followed suit, and four years later the Legislature formally abolished the payments.

"Difficult times demand difficult choices," Latimer said, "and the 2003 budget will, indeed, be difficult. There may be real pain in cutting expenses, and I believe in everyone sharing the pain - beginning with us."

The options available to the County include budget cuts and tax hikes. County Executive Andrew Spano has framed the issue as either a 31.7% property tax boost or a 1% rise in the sales tax, which he favors. (See County Budget) Spano views much of the budget gap to be coming from increased costs of programs which are mandated by New York State and cannot be cut.

To emphasize his approach, Spano is releasing the County budget in two portions. The first chunk, out on October 2, covers parts of the budget going to state mandated programs. The second, coming out next Friday, November 15, pertains to the much smaller collection of services under the control of the county itself. “When this budget is released on Friday, it will show the kinds of painful cuts that will have to be made to pay for the state mandated programs,” said Westchester’s Deputy Communications Director Victoria Hochman.

In Larchmont, the Village Board of Trustees declined to support the County Executive’s approach to the county budget woes. At their November 4th meeting, the Board unanimously turned down the opportunity to side with Spano’s plan for a 1% rise in the sales tax, even though Larchmont might have benefited from a proposal to share a portion of the revenue raised from the additional tax. (See Thumbs Down on Sales Tax.)

"I respect the Village Board's opinion," said Latimer, "but hard choices must be made." He continued, "If we choose to not raise the sales tax, then our choices would be significant program cuts or a large property tax."

Program reductions being discussed at the county level include reductions in bus service, such as the #70 and #71 in Larchmont and Mamaroneck, and shorter hours of operation at the Rye Marshlands and other county parks.

"The possible cuts needed to make up $100 million could cause great distress for our neighbors," Latimer noted. "And a huge property tax increase is equally unacceptable." Latimer reminded that in four of the past six budgets, he voted to reduce property taxes.

Despite the unpalatable options, Latimer is unwilling to reject any mechanism outright. In his view, closing the budget gap in a responsible way will require a little of everything: making some painful cuts and accepting some painful tax increases.

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