Astorino speaks with area residents at the "Ask Astorino" town hall in ScarsdaleArea residents, business owners and public officials gathered at Scarsdale Village Hall last week to discuss a variety of issues with County Executive Rob Astorino. The event was part of the popular "Ask Astorino" town hall series, where people are invited to bring any questions or ideas they would like to discuss face-to-face with the county executive.

Scarsdale Mayor Miriam Levitt Flisser kicked off the evening by welcoming the crowd and introducing the county executive who opened up the dialogue with the goals of his administration and the challenges that face county government.

Taxes and the skyrocketing cost of living in Westchester were common themes throughout the conversations. Many residents were frustrated by watching their tax bill go up and services go down.

"What Scarsdale is dealing with, Westchester is dealing with. In the five years before I took office, taxes went up 17 percent and spending increased 23 percent," said Astorino. "Since becoming county executive, we reduced the county tax levy 2 percent and that took a lot of tough decisions."

Astorino bemoaned that 82 cents out of every county tax dollar is consumed by Albany through unfunded mandates, which state government imposes on its local municipalities. Astorino noted the costs of unfunded mandates continue to soar. In 2001, for example, the county's pension price tag was $4 million. In 2012, this cost was $79 million. Next year it is projected to be $91 million.

The 2009 housing settlement with the federal government was also on the minds of residents. The county is ahead of schedule in satisfying the terms of the agreement thanks to the cooperation of local governments. However, Astorino warned of the potential infringements on local control of zoning and on the rights of property owners, if the federal government succeeds in going "beyond the four corners of the settlement."

Astorino also spoke with residents about the construction that began on Crane Road Bridge this summer and the county's continued efforts to minimize the impact of the project on the community. The county executive encouraged residents to visit www.westchestergov.clom/craneroad where residents can sign up for e-mail alerts regarding road closures and traffic pattern changes and can also submit questions and comments.

Other topics of discussion were plans for the county-owned Playland Park in Rye and the safety of Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant in Buchanan.

The open forum was the fourth hosted by Astorino around the county in as many months. In addition, this spring he held his fourth "tele" town hall that attracted approximately 21,000 listeners as well as participants via social media.

Photo: Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino speaks with area residents at the "Ask Astorino" town hall held at Scarsdale Village Hall Wednesday night.