Akiko Matsuda

amatsuda@lohud.com

NEW CITY – The Rockland County Legislature on Thursday night will vote on a revised 2015 spending plan that would restore many of the cuts proposed by County Executive Ed Day.

Day's $772 million spending plan called for eliminating 111 jobs to trim about $6.8 million, including 37 positions in the Sheriff's Police Division as well as dozens of security and laundry jobs. Under Day's plan, a county taxpayer's annual bill would have risen by an average of $20.

Day also proposed eliminating funding for nonprofits to save an additional $3.3 million. These organizations provide vital services, including the county's only animal shelter and its largest food pantry. The money for all nonprofits would be restored under the revised budget.

The Legislature's Budget and Finance Committee revised Day's proposal, restoring 36 of the 37 positions in the Sheriff's Police Division. The remaining position, which is vacant, would be eliminated. The funding to maintain the mounted patrol, about $220,000, has also been restored, as the Sheriff's Office has agreed to reduce overtime at the county jail by $380,000.

Legislator Michael Grant, D-Garnerville, chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, said to finance those changes, the committee recommended amending a 2012 county law that requires an annual payment of $10 million toward deficit reduction until the county's remaining $41 million deficit is eliminated. Under the amendment, the annual payment would be reduced to a minimum of $4 million, he said.

"That would free up a considerable amount of what we need to restore the funding for public safety and the funds for the contract agencies," Grant said, adding that the Legislature will vote on the amendment Thursday.

On Tuesday, Grant was notified by O'Connor Davies, a financial firm, that Day's budget plan mistakenly broke the state mandated tax cap by $100,000.

Though Day maintains that his budget meets the cap, the finance committee recommended reducing the tax levy by $100,000. Failing to stay within the cap could mean Rockland taxpayers would not receive rebates from the state to offset any tax increase.

The full Legislature is expected to vote on the revised proposal at a meeting set for 7 p.m. Thursday and present it to Day on Friday morning. Day, a Republican, will have five days to veto the plan, and the Democrat-controlled Legislature will have an opportunity to either override the veto or sustain it.

Twitter: @LohudAkiko