RyeCity REVIEW THE
November 1, 2019 | Vol. 7, Number 43 | www.ryecityreview.com
THIS OLD HOUSE Surrounded by the descendants of the family that lived in the Elijah Miller House during the American Revolution, Westchester County welcomed the public back to the historically significant home. For more, see page 6.
Latimer announces tax cut for 2020 operating budget At the home of small business owner and Westchester taxpayer, County Executive George Latimer unveiled his plan for the soon to be released 2020 Operating Budget—in that plan a property tax cut. “We made a commitment to freeze County property taxes, and now we can go a bit further,” Latimer said. “This is the first time, in almost a decade that a County Executive has proposed a budget that reduces the County property tax levy. This budget is about the people who live in
Westchester County, it is about giving them some relief, and making their County the best it can be—by providing services and programs taxpayers rely on while placing the County back onto solid financial ground.” The announcement was made at the home of Monica and Matthew Marone. Matthew Marone owns and operates Westchester Milk, a small business that delivers milk and other food items based in White Plains. “We own a small business and love living in Westchester,”
said the Marones, Greenburgh residents. “Every dollar we save in taxes will be spent back in the community - this is a win-win for everyone.” For the 2020 budget, the county will also have no one shot deals, a step in the right direction to restore the county’s once sterling Aaa bond rating. Further, Latimer outlined that this budget would build up reserves—reserves that were nearly depleted by the last administration. Latimer has directed that $10 million be add-
ed to the county’s “rainy day fund”—bringing it up to $79 million—a 23 percent increase over just one year ago. Finally, this budget features zero borrowing for operating expenses. All ongoing expenses, including pension obligations and tax certioraris, will be paid through the operating budget—not borrowed; a move that in the long run saves taxpayer dollars. The full operating budget will be unveiled at a press conference on Nov. 8. (Submitted)
County DA hosts discovery, bail reform training Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino Jr. and staff hosted a presentation and training session for law enforcement leadership and personnel on Discovery and Bail Reform in New York State which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020. More than 200 members of local police departments, state and county police, and other law enforcement organizations attended the briefing. • The new discovery law impacts police departments and district attorneys in the volume of pretrial materials that they must collect and turn over to the defense counsel in an accelerated time frame. Every case, from misdemeanor to Class A felonies, must be handled the same way. • As of 2020, there will be no bail and no pretrial detention in all but the most serious felony cases. Judges are encouraged to release defendants “on their own recognizance” while their cases are pending. While the county District Attorney’s Office has been preparing for its implementation since the summer and meeting with individual police departments, this was the first full group training session for law enforcement serving Westchester County by the District Attorney’s Office. The conference, which took place on Oct. 30, was held in the Westchester County Courthouse. Scarpino opened the session with the importance of the new criminal justice reform laws and how his office is working to make the process as seamless as possible across agencies and the defense bar. Scarpino assured them that the office is putting in place all the mechanisms needed to be in full compliance as of Jan. 1. Deputy District Attorney Paul Noto addressed the conference describing the need for clear understanding and imple-
mentation of the new laws. Specific presentations were given by Deputy District Attorney Steve Vandervelden on the intricacies of discovery reform and the process to meet the statute; and Assistant District Attorney Cynthia Adimari, Rye bureau chief, explained the new bail law. The presentations described the fine points of the new statutes and how police and prosecutors will collaborate to meet the more stringent timelines for turning over pretrial discovery materials. Changes in how the bail structure will change in both local courts and at the county level were laid out fully. In addition, they covered the concerns of witnesses and victims. Part of the county District Attorney’s Office work is training police departments on the new statutes and, in this case, the specific management of case materials. The office is building an electronic content management system to handle the flow and storage of all discovery materials from police, to the District Attorney’s Office and to defense attorneys. The new e-discovery portal is being funded through forfeiture funds. Internally, the county District Attorney’s Office continues to test and build the e-discovery portal, train support staff in local court bureaus and branches and ADAs on how to comply with the new 2020 laws. Scarpino and his leadership team have discussed the new protocols and office staffing needs with County Executive George Latimer and the county Board of Legislators to explain the need for additional ADAs and paralegals to handle the workload. The office has conducted a number of tests to grasp the additional person-hours needed to complete full discovery on a variety of cases within the 15-day parameter. (Submitted)