RFP Sought for Airport Deal; Budget to Use $15M From Reserves

By Martin Wilbur and Neal Rentz

The Board of Legislators informed County Executive Rob Astorino on Monday it would not approve the 40-year, $140 million lease for Oaktree Capital Management to operate the county airport next year.

Chairman Michael Kaplowitz (D-Somers) said late Monday that the deal did not have the required supermajority support of 12 lawmakers without the county putting the item out for a Request for Proposal (RFP).

“We just want to make sure it was the best deal and it was good for Westchester taxpayers,” Kaplowitz said of the desire for an RFP.

While no target date for the RFP was mentioned, the board is replacing the anticipated $15 million in revenue from the airport deal in the $1.81B budget for 2017 with money from the reserve fund, he said.

Astorino raised eyebrows in early November when he announced that he had reached an agreement with Oaktree but wasn’t required to go out to bid.

Other budgetary changes on Monday included adding $700,000 for public safety to hire three to five additional county police officers and additional hires for the county DPW, Kaplowitz said.

There will be no reduction in funding next year for any of the nonprofit organizations. Taxes will remain steady for the seventh consecutive year.

Last Wednesday, dozens of speakers urged the Board of Legislators to maintain the funding to benefit children and families during the second of three budget public hearings.

Many in attendance at Armonk’s H.C. Crittenden Middle School on Nov. 30 held signs saying “Day Care Not Welfare” and “Keep Parents Earning, Keep Children Learning.”

Some speakers called on lawmakers to increase appropriations by 5 percent next year for certain organizations while others wanted to ensure the county doesn’t slash funding.

Neil Sandler, president of the board of directors of Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS), thanked the county executive for maintaining funding for WJCS services at the same level as last year while holding the other nonprofits harmless. Some of WJCS’ programs include mental health services and home care and youth programs.

He said the organizations and the populations they serve rely on county funding.

“We respectfully ask that you keep the funding for WJCS services in the budget whole – including funding for child victims of sexual abuse, vocational services for people with disabilities and after school programming for youth and early literacy services for families,” Sandler said.

Pleasantville resident Janice Lubin Kirschner said WJCS assisted 8,000 students last year through its afterschool program.

Noelle Damico, co-chair of the Westchester Women’s Agenda, was one of the speakers who appealed to lawmakers to increase spending for nonprofits by 5 percent next year. One of the organization’s tasks is providing safe and affordable child care, which helps to keep parents working and boosts the local economy, she said.

Most residents pressed lawmakers for funding for child care programs, such as the Mount Kisco Child Care Center (MKCCC). Parent David Grief said the center allowed him and his wife to commute to New York City each day knowing their child was being well cared for. Effective child care provides parents with a sense of security, he said.

Dr. Hillary Harrison, a member of MKCCC’s board of directors, said child care is important for the development of young children.

“The children of today are the adults of the future,” she said.

Dawn Meyerski, the center’s executive director, urged legislators to provide the funding that would allow parents to keep their children in day care.

“Child care is expensive,” she said.

The Board of Legislators is scheduled to hold its third and final public hearing tomorrow (Wednesday) evening at 7 p.m. at the county office building in White Plains. A final budget must be adopted by Dec. 27.