RyeCity REVIEW THE
October 19, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 43 | www.ryecityreview.com
CSEA, Board of Legislators OK new contract By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
Full of art The Pelham Art Center is kicking off its artsfest this week with an array of activities and evetns all geared toward enjoying local arts. For more, see page 6.
Ralph’s gets green light from Mamaroneck ZBA Ralph’s Italian Ices & Ice Cream will officially be allowed back into the village of Mamaroneck after approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals earlier this month. The application, unanimously approved on Thursday Oct. 4, will pave the way for a 3,000-square-foot shop on Mamaroneck Avenue which will serve not only ice cream and Italian ices, but small snacks. The store would mark the third Ralph’s franchise location in Westchester County after owner Scott Rosenberg opened one in North White Plains and more recently on Central Ave-
nue in Yonkers. In 2017, the original Ralph’s storefront, located at 946 E. Boston Post Road, was forced to close after the village zoning board determined the business was unsuited for the location and was the cause of exacerbated traffic, safety and noise conditions for the surrounding neighborhood. The business was also found to be operating without a Westchester County Department of Health permit for several months, after the certificate lapsed a year earlier. A decision to revoke Ralph’s certificate of occupancy last year punctuated more than a year of
tumult as well as a zoning appeal which discovered the business had been misclassified as a retail establishment by the village Building Department. That mistake allowed the business to skirt the confines of its encompassing zoning district and requirements for public notice through the existing neighborhood. Relations between the village and Rosenberg continued to sour when he decided to sue the village officials over the store’s closure, seeking an injunction of his revoked certificate of occupancy as well as $75,000 in damages. But the lawsuit was thrown out by a judge who
deemed the request too “drastic” and lacking basis shortly after it was filed. Scrutiny over Ralph’s also brought about increased oversight of the Building Department’s procedures and protocols which culminated this year in a report from Matrix Consulting, which was hired to assess areas of improvement with the department. That report was recently submitted and recommends a host of improvements, including the use of new software, performance tracking metrics and the hiring of additional building inspectors. -Reporting by James Pero
After operating without a new contract for seven years, Westchester County’s largest union, the Civil Service Employees Association, has a deal in place that will include $27.8 million in retroactive salary increases. As part of the contract, the union conceded to pay a portion of their healthcare costs—between 5 and 10 percent on a case by case basis for employees—an issue that had remained a sticking point between the two sides for years. The Board of Legislators approved the contract on Monday, Oct. 15, making the 10-year deal official. With the CSEA representing thousands of civil service employees in Westchester, the size of the contract will create an even larger budget shortfall on top of the $18 million deficit the county is currently facing for 2018. The union has been operating under the parameters of an expired contract since former County Executive, Rob Astorino, a Republican, took office in 2010. The two sides attempted to negotiate unsuccessfully for the entirety of his tenure as county executive, butting heads on healthcare contributions and back pay. In 2017, Astorino in seeking a third term in office lost re-election to George Latimer, a Democrat. “After seven years of stalemate, we have a contract that the majority of CSEA workers have ratified,” Latimer said in a statement. “I want to thank CSEA’s leadership for negotiating in good faith; and I am proud of our county and our workers.” According to projections provided to county officials back in
Westchester County’s largest union, the CSEA, has agreed to a new contract after seven years in limbo. Photo courtesy Flickr.com
August, the county’s budget deficit currently hovers at $18.2 million, more than $14 million less than initially projected. Among the factors contributing to the smaller shortfall are favorable sales tax revenue—$7 million more than expected— lower than projected healthcare contributions and savings from other renegotiated contracts. Due to revenue shortfalls lawmakers are now forced to consider raising taxes through the property tax levy. However, Latimer has said a tax hike is currently not on the table. During Astorino’s eight years in office taxes were never raised, a rallying point during his 2017 campaign.A shortfall may also increase the likelihood that the county will be forced to draw on its fund balance. A reduction could directly affect the county’s AAA credit rating from Moody’s, a financial service and credit rating agency. That rating affects the county’s ability to borrow and issue bonds at preferential interest rates and could prove increasingly important as the Federal Reserve continues to increase borrowing rates. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com