Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas Issues Budget Alert

Dear Mount Vernon Friends and Family,

                First and foremost, our hearts and prayers go out to everyone who is hurting as a result of the recent hurricanes in the Caribbean and earthquake in Mexico City. The City of Mount Vernon is committed to helping our global neighbors recover from the devastating effects of these natural disasters. On Saturday, October 7^th, we will hold a Disaster Relief Concert on City Hall Plaza. Look for continued information from my office with further details.

BUDGET ALERT

                This week, my administration unveiled our budget proposal for 2018. Our proposal prioritizes public safety. Our proposal protects and provides for our young people. Our proposal advances transparency and strengthens constituent services. Moreover, our proposal supports a government of professional individuals who will serve the public with energy and passion. More than half of our appropriations cover mandated costs for pensions and other government obligations. Our net budget request is virtually the same as last year. Unfortunately, the political gridlock over the past twenty months has now imposed upon the city unnecessary and once-avoidable costs. Our budget is designed to pay for itself by working for you.

                Please join us on this Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 4:00pm at Memorial Field for an honest update on the illegal dumping at Memorial Field, a detailed presentation on our budget, and what it means for the future of Mount Vernon. We are charting a new course for our future and I am excited to share the details with you.

1.       Public Safety

Our 2018 budget is a budget that bolsters public safety and enhances quality of life. We believe in more cops on the street, more firefighters to provide protection, and funding for a Police Commissioner. Public safety is essential to enhancing our quality of life and raising property values. No other community in Westchester County would be foolish enough to remove a Police Commissioner from their Police Department and we cannot accept the City Council's selfish decision to do so any more.

2.       Youth Programs

Our 2018 budget is a budget that provides for our young people and supports music, art, science, and hands-on learning to set them on a path to higher education and a career. Our proposal invests heavily in after-school programs and initiatives via our Youth Bureau and the Department of Recreation so our young people can stay off the streets and out of the clutches of joblessness and hopelessness that have stolen so many lives. It will enable us to better partner with the Mount Vernon City School District by strategically offering FREE transportation and enrichment programs that our children need. It will give working parents, grandparents, and guardians options and opportunities. New programs will engage our youth, reducing delinquency by inspiring them to achieve. Best of all, further investment in athletics will lead to more and more champions and restore our pride.

3.       Cable Contract and Continued Commitment to Transparency

Our 2018 budget is a budget that continues our commitment to transparency and public access. Since entering office, we have worked to deploy transparencymeasures including being the first administration in Mount Vernon's history to broadcast public meetings and publicize weekly crime statistics. Over a year ago, in May of 2016, we submitted a cable franchise renewal agreement to the City Council to authorize. Eligible seniors should be paying $20 per month for cable, not $200 per month. Think of the savings for those on a fixed income that they are not saving. Multiply $180 by 16 because that is how much an eligible senior has wasted waiting these past sixteen months for the City Council to act.  Led by Marcus Griffith, the Council has sat on this legislation forcing seniors to pay hundreds of dollars extra for no reason. Worse, they are keeping cameras out of public meetings. This costly situation is unacceptable. Our 2018 budget supports the implementation of the Cable Contract as well as FREE Public WIKI in strategic hotspots around town including our parks and City Hall.

4.       Equity

Our 2018 budget supports the continued professionalization and constituent services aspects of city government. Mount Vernon City Hall must become like a smartphone - easy to navigate, fast, and tailored to the users' needs. It can only become more effective and efficient if we continue to recruit talented individuals who know what they are doing and wish to serve with energy and passion.

                Salaries in Mount Vernon government have long been designed to support political handouts and "no show" jobs, not to support professional people who want to work. Female Commissioners and Department Heads make tens of thousands of dollars less than their male counterparts. It's wrong and women should have equal pay as men. Based on the recommendation of outside counsel, our 2018 budget proposes cost-of-living raises across the board in all branches of government from Comptroller, City Council, and Mayor to the staff below. The goal is to bring City government to a comparable level to neighboring municipalities which have all redeveloped over the past decade, increasing home values and delivering quality services.

A study by Mercy College's Strategic Consulting Institute found that Mount Vernon is the only municipality in the tri-state area which operates using pen and paper.  Recruiting talented professionals to build and implement a new system... from scratch...requires an investment in human capital. New relationships with Microsoft, the Trust for Public Land, and the World Economic Forum are all ready to work with us. Mount Vernon must add leadership positions to drive the changes we all want to see - a smarter city, with smarter schools, that is competitive on a regional basis, returning to the destination for jobs and a better quality of life for all families. 

                2018 BUDGET WEB PAGE

          This budget works for you and it will pay for itself.

Please visit www.cmvny.com/2018budget to review the budget and bookmark this page as we will continually update it with further information. Please do not hesitate to contact my office at 914-665-2361 or MayorThomas@cmvny.comwith any questions. Remember - this Sunday, September 24^th, 2017 at Memorial Field at 4:00 PM for our budget presentation.

 

Respectfully,

 

Mayor Richard Thomas