Yonkers Insider: Yonkers City Council GOP Caucus: *NEWS RELEASE* BREEN & MERANTE SLAM CUOMO FOR WITHHOLDING AID.

***NEWS RELEASE***

BREEN & MERANTE SLAM CUOMO FOR WITHHOLDING AID.

YONKERS, NY – September 15, 2020 – With drastic cuts in state aid to municipalities and significant decreases in economically sensitive revenues, the City of Yonkers is preparing to reduce costs by $21.6 million. These cuts could negatively impact city programs, services and personnel. Governor Cuomo has withheld $21.6 million in Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM) and the economically sensitive revenues that Yonkers relies upon are forecasted to be $45-50 million dollars lower this current fiscal year due to the pandemic.

Minority Leader Mike Breen said “our State leaders continue to fail us. The latest budgetary gimmick Governor Cuomo is using is delaying $21.6 million in aid that the City had been told was forth coming and budgeted for. Governor Cuomo knows that in order to amend the New York State budget, and decrease the already woefully low funding Yonkers is expected to receive, a vote of the NYS Legislature is required. However, a “delayed” payment does not need legislative approval.”

 

Minority Leader Breen continued, “This unexpected shortfall caused by Governor Cuomo and the consistent lack of advocacy from Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Yonkers finds itself in a position to layoff over 200 employees. I am committed to working with my colleagues in government to minimize the impact these funding reductions will have on our City’s residents.”

Council Budget Chairman Anthony Merante expressed his outrage at this latest ploy by NYS to shortchange Yonkers. Merante said “This is becoming an all too familiar, ugly pattern. In the last 5 years the City of Yonkers has been shortchanged by the State for over $ 300 million. We send our sales tax and state income tax revenue to Albany and when it’s time to get our fair share back, they stick it to us. This underhanded move of a $ 21.6 million “delayed payment hurts the City and the 220 City employees that will need to be laid off. These are employees with families and children who will be suffering by losing their livelihood in the midst of a pandemic. This is unconscionable! I urge our State representatives Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Senator Shelley Mayer to stand up and do right by Yonkers and urge the Governor to rescind this delay."