The Changes Shift The Balance Of Power Between The Legislature & The Executive To The Detriment Of The Public
Dear Editor,
I recommend voting NO on Rockland County Proposition 1, a proposal on the November ballot to make substantive changes to the County Charter. There are several hundred changes and its an All or Nothing vote. A Charter is like a Constitution and is very important. It changes the power relationships between the County Executive, the Legislature, elected County officials and the public.
The reality is there is no time to have a reasoned widespread public conversation about the pros and cons of Proposition 1 without distracting from the many important elections for Congress, the state, towns, and judges.
Shame on the County. Why did the County delay the roll out of this new Charter to only several weeks before early voting begins? The details were posted on the County Board of Elections website on October 2, although it was passed as a local law on July 2. The County could have saved spending $100,000 on a pro Proposition 1 mass mailing had it been made public earlier.
My major concern as a retired CPA and municipal financial professional is this proposal will weaken the County budgeting and financial system. Recall the County had a major financial crisis from about 2012 to 2014. It had to borrow $96 million, had a low bond rating, laid off many employees, and was the state’s most fiscally stressed county. Credit should be given to the County Executive and the Legislature for successfully addressing our financial problems. Since then, the County’s finances are stable and its bond rating is excellent.
However, in my opinion, this proposed new Charter increases the risk of creating problems. One objection is the hiding of department budget requests. The current County Executive Proposed 2027 Budget shows these requests and the charter makes this optional. It should be mandatory.
Showing department budget requests is a generally accepted budget practice. The public and Legislature can compare in one document what a professional department head has requested compared to the proposal to the legislature by politicians and future County Executives. Focusing on differences between the two strengthens budgeting and financial oversight. It is important to have this transparency. Other New York counties do this: like Westchester, Orange, and Nassau. There is no good reason to make it optional.
Another proposal hides budget transfers within departments from the Legislature and public. What good is a budget if it can be changed during the year undetected? Transparency can open the door to uncovering incompetency, and hidden operational changes using our taxes.
We need more time to understand what these hundreds of proposed changes mean for us and future generations.
A majority NO vote on election day, Tuesday, November 3 will help. The County can put this on the 2027 ballot. This will give more time to review, discuss, and decide if the changes are in our best interests. I urge a NO vote on Proposition 1.
The League of Women Voters of Rockland County will have a Zoom debate about this on Wednesday, October 21 at 7 pm.
Robert Tompkins, CPA, MPA
Orangetown, NY
