RyeCity REVIEW THE
September 28, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 40 | www.ryecityreview.com
Shared services plan projects $27M in savings By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
NOT SO FAST A plan designed to protect waterfront communities along the Long Island Sound is receiving pushback because it may disrupt natural ecosystems. For story, see page 6.
Mother pleads not guilty in daughter’s death The mother of a deceased Mamaroneck toddler pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges relating to the death of her 2-year-old daughter Gabriella Boyd. In an indictment from a grand jury earlier this month, Cynthia Arce, 29, was charged with second-degree murder and was later arraigned on charges on Tuesday, Sept. 18. In addition to the murder charge relating to her daughter, Gabrielle Boyd, Arce also faces two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated assault upon a police officer, and two counts of assault in the second degree relating to incidents with police during an initial response. Charges relate to an incident
on April 28 in the village of Mamaroneck during which police responded to a 911 call where they found Boyd, severely injured and unresponsive. According to police, when officers attempted to help the toddler, Arce, attacked the officers with a knife. Arce was first tased by police and then shot by the responding officers. She was hospitalized after the incident and is currently being held in Westchester County Jail. Gabrielle Boyd was later pronounced dead after being rushed to White Plains Hospital. Arce’s lawyer claims that she was attempting to take her own life when officers arriced and claims that she suffers from bipolar disorder and undiagnosed postpartum depression. The girl’s death also precip-
itated litigation from her father, Steven Boyd, who is suing Mamaroneck police and Westchester County, claiming law enforcement failed to properly enforce a court order granting him custody of the child. The notice of claim, filed earlier this year, accuses Mamaroneck police officers of negligence in enforcing a court order that would have removed Boyd from the custody of her mother the day before the toddler’s death took place. Steven Boyd is seeking monetary damages. The Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office officially ruled the death a homicide in August though the official cause of death is still undetermined and an autopsy by the county medical ex-
Cynthia Arce, the mother of a deceased Mamaroneck toddler, pleaded not guilty to murder charges relating to her daughter’s death this April. File photo
aminer has yet to be made public. -Reporting by James Pero
After convening a second shared services panel, Westchester County has resubmitted a proposal that is projected to save $27 million, more than three times the amount offered up under the previous administration. The revised plan—part of an ongoing directive from the state to cut municipal service costs through consolidation—was unanimously approved by municipal leaders across the county and submitted to the state on Sept. 14. The plan’s projections more than triples the $8 million in savings put forward under former County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican that was never submitted or adopted. According to this plan, $7.5 million in savings have been identified for 2019; $9.5 million in savings for 2020; and $27 million in recurring savings thereafter. “When my administration took office in January, one of our biggest goals was to convene all the local governments to develop a shared services plan that could result in real savings to Westchester taxpayers,” said County Executive, George Latimer, a Democrat. “In an era where governments working cooperatively are few and far between, it was a breath of fresh air to see local governments take this process seriously and find real savings for taxpayers.”
Among the new initiatives in the most recent plan are sharing certain municipal water services, energy and joint Information Technology that would see individual municipalities buy into a countywide system for municipal management software used to map parcels of land and more. The shared services plan builds on legislation signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, in May 2017 that creates a blueprint for counties to consolidate services in an effort to save on cost and efficiency. A subsequent piece of legislation passed this year was designed to assist the 23 remaining counties in the state who had not submitted a plan—last year 34 submitted ones—as well as allowing those who wished to revisit their 2017 proposed plans to do so. Additionally, the 2018 legislation calls for a three-year timeline for counties to demonstrate implementation and proof of savings. The statewide legislation requires every county executive across the state to convene a panel made up of every chief elected official from every municipality and submit a plan to reduce the costs of services like sanitation, emergency medical care and police. As incentive, the state Legislature has set aside $225 million in matching funds for money that each county saves through consolidation plans. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com
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