At a time when the state is bleeding from pension abuses and in desperate need of reform and the county is facing a deficit of $166 million next year, County Executive Robert P. Astorino today blasted legislators for even considering a proposal that squanders nearly $16 million in tax dollars over the next five years by unconscionably allowing employees to double dip into both state and county voluntary separation incentives.

"For the Democrats on the Board of Legislators to propose legalizing double-dipping is outrageous and unconscionable," Astorino said. "For elected officials charged with oversight of taxpayer dollars to even consider this is the height of irresponsibility."

In May, Astorino proposed – and the Board of Legislators approved – a plan to give cash incentives to employees to encourage them to voluntarily resign from their county jobs. This incentive amounts to $1,000 a year for every year they have worked for the county, with a maximum of $30,000.

A total of 276 employees have filed the necessary paperwork to take advantage of this incentive. However, they were given until June 30 to withdraw from the county's plan. Employees can withdraw for any reason, but the window was created specifically to give the county time to consider opting into the state's incentive plan.

On June 1, Gov. Paterson signed a state law that provides an early retirement incentive for certain public employees, giving them additional service credit of up to one month for each year of service, up to a maximum of three years of credit, or allowing employees with at least 25 years of service credit to retire without penalty.

In order to participate in this program, a local government, such as Westchester County, has to opt in by enactment of a local law. The state's program includes safeguards to prevent employees from double dipping into more than one incentive plan. However, local governments through their enactment legislation can exempt themselves from the double-dipping safeguards, and that's what the Board of Legislators has proposed to do.

On Monday, the Board of Legislators moved forward on a bill to opt into the state proposal. At the direction of county Board Chairman Ken Jenkins, the legislation was written to specifically provide for county employees to take advantage of both the state and the county incentive plans.

The Astorino administration supports opting into the state's plan and giving employees the choice of taking either the county's plan or the state's plan, but not both.

"It makes financial sense to give employees an 'either or' choice between the county's separation incentive and the state's plan," said Astorino. "But to allow employees to double dip into both is a complete perversion of the original intent, which is to save taxpayers money. Double dipping is just wrong. Plain and simple, it's an abuse of taxpayer dollars and cannot be defended."

The county must pay the costs of any of its employees retiring under the state plan. Against those costs, the benefits of fewer people on the payroll must be weighed.

The county Budget department estimates the county will save approximately $23 million a year and roughly $114 million over five years if employees are allowed to choose the county's plan or the state's plan. However, if the Board of Legislators' plan is adopted as presented taxpayers will lose approximately $3.2 million of those savings over the next year and about $16 million over the next five years.

"This is an outrageous giveaway of taxpayer money," said Astorino. "When taxpayers ask how people walk away from government jobs with platinum parachutes, this is the reason. You can't blame the government workers for overly generous payouts if legislators write the laws to allow it to happen in the first place."

The board has scheduled a public hearing on the proposal for 9 a.m. Monday, June 14.
The county executive urged the public to let the Board of Legislators know that its proposal is unacceptable.

"The final insult is that they have scheduled this important public hearing at a time when so few members of the public will be able to attend," said Astorino. "I urge anyone who can't be there to tell your county legislator by phone, email or in person how you feel about this giveaway of tax dollars."