Highlights of Actions Taken by The Westchester County Board of Legislators at its June 4th Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 5, 2007

Contact: Betsy DeSoye, Director of Communications, (914) 995-3277

LEGISLATION PASSED

Additional Enforcement Power to County’s Human Rights Commission
Expanded penalties include allowing: the imposition of punitive damages up to $10,000 in “willful, wanton or malicious” discrimination cases; the Commission’s Executive Director to impose civil penalties in cases the Director initiates; the assessment of civil penalties between $50,000 and $100,000, payable to the county, for serious cases of housing discrimination; a successful complainant to recover costs of pursuing a discrimination complaint.

Plumbing and Electrical Licensing Boards
Clarified: that the county’s Plumbing and Electrical Licensing Boards can continue to assess monetary fines against individuals or entities that violate the county’s licensing laws but the licensing boards have no authority regarding criminal matters other than to refer them to the district attorney’s office.

The legislation also gave the Board of Plumbing Examiners the authority to grant reciprocal licenses to plumbers licensed outside of Westchester. Current law already gives the Electrical Licensing Board the authority to grant reciprocal licenses.

Health and Dental Care for Westchester, Putnam and Rockland Residents with HIV/AIDS
Using a federal grant of $273,940, the County Board authorized that the county contract with Westchester Medical Center to provide primary and oral health care services for Westchester, Putnam and Rockland residents with HIV/AIDS for the period from March 1, 2007 through Feb. 29, 2008.

Yorktown Community Center Lease
County Board approved 5-year lease (no cost to county) for space in the Yorktown Community Center to be used as a satellite office for Department of Senior Programs and Services.

Amendment to the County Pay Plan
The County Board approved an amendment to the County Pay Plan proposed by the County Executive that deleted and added certain titles and changed compensation for several positions. The total cost of the amendment is $105,471, funds already included in departments’ 2007 budget.

Mortgage Tax Receipts
County Board approved the semi-annual distribution to cities, towns and villages of mortgage taxes that amounted to over $35 million for the period from October 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007.

Bond Acts Approved

• $3.1 million to upgrade the central heating plant at the Valhalla campus (Public Works)
• $500,000 to replace obsolete computer equipment (Dept of Information Technology)
• $1.2 million to upgrade desktop and laptop computers (Dept of Information Technology)

RESOLUTIONS PASSED

Indian Point License Renewal (16-0)
Entergy Corporation’s license to operate Indian Point 2 and 3 expire in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Entergy Corporation has asked the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew its license to operate the plants for another twenty years. The County Board’s resolution supports federal legislation (HR 2162-Nuclear Power Licensing Act of 2007) that would mandate that the criteria for a license renewal be the same as that required for a new plant.

Board of Legislators Staffing (16-0)
The resolution passed affirmed that as a legislative body, all BOL staff fall within the unclassified service category of the NYS Civil Service Law; deleted some staff titles; added titles that reflected current positions; adjusted salary levels for some titles; and, directed that the relevant county departments immediately effectuate the changes called for in the resolution.

Appointments approved to Westchester County Advisory Boards:

Women’s Advisory Board

• Judith Schwartz (White Plains) reappointed

Refuse Disposal District #1 Advisory Board

• Peter Ligouri (Greenburgh) reappointed as a town representative
• Rocco Circosta (Ossining) reappointed
• James W. Finch, Jr. (Mount Vernon) reappointed

Human Rights Commission

• Paul Ryan (Buchanan) reappointed

Fire Advisory Board

• David P. Klaus (Yorktown) reappointed

Hispanic Advisory Board

• Robin A. Bikkal (White Plains), reappointed as a member and chair
• Fernando Serratto (Ossining)

Domestic Violence Council

• Patricia Brimais (Chestnut Ridge)
• James Hoffnagle (Hastings-on-Hudson), as a representative from the County Probation Department

Citizen’s Consumer Advisory Council

• Paul Ryan (Ardsley), as Retail Food Merchant Representative

African American Advisory Board

• Claudett J. Stothart (White Plains)

If you would like additional information on any of the above, please contact Betsy DeSoye at (914) 995-3277.