County Board of Legislators Meeting: November 13, 2007 Highlights of Actions Taken

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 15, 2007

Public Hearing Scheduled

Should Westchester's fast food restaurants be required to display calorie content for their menu items?
Public Hearing scheduled for November 26 at 7:30 PM in the County Board Chamber on proposed local law that would require restaurants with ten or more establishments to display calorie content values for menu items.

Additional Actions Taken

Open Space Given Parkland Protection
Approved the dedication of 125 acres of the county-owned 180-acre Hilltop Hanover Farm in Yorktown as parkland. The designation forever protects the site as open space. The parcel offers residents additional hiking trails and its preservation serves to further protect the Croton watershed's drinking water. The county acquired the180-acre farm in 2003 and established an environmental resource center on the site which offers a wide range of educational programs for children on everything from farming to beekeeping.

Challenge to Indian Point Re-licensing Continues
Authority given to the county attorney to file an amicus curiae brief in proceeding before the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission opposing the re-licensing of the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan.
(Vote: 11-6 no-Oros, Burrows, LaMotte, Spreckman, Swanson, Maisano)

Upgrade to 911 Emergency Services Communication Equipment
To ensure the continued reliability of the emergency response system, $1.2 million in bonds approved to finance the phased in replacement of aging 911 emergency communications equipment.

New Rochelle: Infrastructure Improvement to Woodbine Pump Station
$720,000 in bonds approved to fund the design and construction management for the rehabilitation of the Woodbine Pump Station, designated a priority repair by the county, in the New Rochelle Sewer District. The proposed repairs will keep the Woodbine Pump Station operating in a safe and environmentally-sound way, preventing the backflow of sewage into local receiving waters.

Mount Vernon: Two Youth Violence & Crime Reduction Programs Approved
Authorized the county to enter into two separate inter-municipal agreements with the city of Mount Vernon, both relating to juvenile crime reduction and prevention programs. One, Step Up!, is premised on the assumption that gang violence is a product of social disorganization. It calls for community institutions, including law enforcement, social welfare agencies and grass roots organizations to work together to achieve a more integrated, team-oriented approach. This program has proven effective in other sites throughout the country.

Reducing Pollution from Stormwater Runoff Focus of Major Public Education Effort
Authorized the county to apply for and accept state funds in the amount of $200,000, and to match that amount with in-kind services from the county and local municipalities, to develop a $400,000 program to educate the public about ways to minimize pollution to water bodies, such as Long Island Sound, that results from stormwater runoff. The central component of the education and outreach program is the creation of an educational website supplemented by a variety of educational information such as brochures, posters and public service announcements.

Blind Brook Waste Water Treatment Plant Upgrade
Approved $9 million in bonds to fund refurbishment of the Blind Brook Waste Water Treatment plant, which includes the repair, upgrading and replacement of various items of equipment and systems. Total amount includes $825,000 in previous authorized bonds to fund the design phase of the project.

Legal Fee Adjustment
Approval given to increase the "not to exceed" amount from $160,000 to $450,000, in existing agreement with Epstein, Becker & Green to serve "as counsel" to the county attorney in defending the lawsuit, United States of America, ex rel, Anti Discrimination Center of Metro New York v. Westchester County, New York

Provision Made for Alternate Juvenile Detention Facility
Authority given to the county's Social Services Department, responsible for presenting juvenile delinquency petitions and placing children in both secure and non-secure detention facilities, to refer eligible children from Westchester to Suffolk and Rockland for housing and services in the event that Children’s Village, the county's non-secure detention facility, is at full capacity.