LOCAL DEMS CALL COUNTY BUDGET PROCESS "DISGRACEFUL"

Rochester & Monroe County, N.Y.--  Monroe County Democratic Chairman Joseph D. Morelle and County Legislature Democratic Leader Ted O'Brien today denounced the Monroe County budget process, calling it illegal and accusing the Legislature's Republican majority of disgraceful tactics during last night's debate. They called on the GOP leadership to hold a second and valid budget session on behalf of the people of Monroe County.

"In my opinion the Legislature should be called back so that the budget may be reviewed and approved according to the rule of law," Morelle said.

"In a meeting in which a $1.5 billion budget was approved, the County Legislature representing County citizens failed its basic responsibility. It's bad enough to not make a single change, but the dispensing of these motions without any consideration is not only a clear violation of the County charter, it is also a greater violation of the trust placed in elected officials by the taxpayers of this community.

"Amendments that might have saved millions of dollars in property tax cuts were summarily dismissed without a single vote cast for or against, and as a result we have yet another increase in the property tax burden paid by our homeowners," Morelle said, adding that the state budget is subject to far more debate.

"I can assure you that that even the state legislature insists on greater scrutiny and accountability than now takes place in the County Legislature chambers," said Morelle. "And as a former county lawmaker, I never laid down for a Democratic county executive."

O'Brien said the budget itself "represents a violation of law and breach of faith. The process is bad enough, but the results of the process are even worse."


Minority Leader
Ted O'Brien

O'Brien said the budget approved Tuesday:

- Violates the Tax Payer Protection Act of 2007, designed to limit discretionary spending increases to the rate of inflation.

"To get around this requirement, the Administration simply reclassifies what is and isn't 'discretionary,'" he said. "It's deceitful and typical of the process as a whole."

- Hides the real scope of its expenditures by masking more than $400 million in "off-budget" spending.

- Makes little effort to address the already existing $105 million structural imbalance and actually makes it worse at a time when federal stimulus support is nearing its end.

Finally, O'Brien called upon Majority Leader Dan Quatro to apologize for "insulting and unprofessional conduct when referring to a member of our Caucus. Apparently such behavior is allowed even if honest debate is not." Quatro was at the center of a similar controversy last year.

"Stated simply, the people of Monroe County are not being served honorably or honestly by this administration or the Republican majority," O'Brien said. "We should insist on much higher standards and far more substantive debate, and today we are."