A Taxing Problem That Can Be Solved
Minority leader says county should follow lead
of municipalities that have cut costs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 15, 2006

Contact: George Oros, 914.995.2828, Oros@westchesterlegislators.com

Minority Leader George Oros (R-C/Cortlandt) dedicated most of his first Legislator Update cable show of 2007 recently to highlighting how county taxes are out of control.

Pointing out that Westchester is the highest taxed county in the nation, Oros, who voted against the last four county budgets, said over the last nine years county taxes have increased by 54%, double the cost of living.

“We have a long fight, at least some of us, to keep taxes low,” Oros said. “I will always be there to fight to save taxpayers a few dollars. This can be done. It just takes a commitment from the county executive and the Board of Legislators.”

To demonstrate how taxes can be kept in check, Oros took his show to Cortlandt Town Hall to chat with Cortlandt Supervisor Linda Puglisi (pictured above), who has achieved a zero percent average tax increase during her 16 years as supervisor. Puglisi said keeping taxes low remains her top priority and explained some of the ways she has been able to reach her goal is through consolidation and carefully scrutinizing expenses.

“Just because you budget for something doesn’t mean you have to buy it,” she said. “It’s very costly to live in this county and taxes are a big key to this. We have to keep them down on all levels of government.”

Oros said he and the other legislators in the Minority Conference have made several recommendations to try to cut costs, including establishing a blue ribbon panel to explore how to make county government run more efficiently.

“We have offered suggestions repeatedly on how we can think outside the box,” Oros said. “The GOP is ready, willing and able to explore duplication and change the way the Board of Acquisition & Contract operates.”

Oros mentioned elected officials in Peekskill, Yorktown and Buchanan have also worked hard to keep taxes at a reasonable level. In particular, he cited the efforts of Peekskill officials.

“Mayor Testa and the City Council have delivered a zero increase for Peekskill twice now and deserve praise from their taxpayers,” Oros said. “I hold the four communities that I represent as a role model to the county.”