“Be Prepared” – County Executive Ed Day

Published

6 years ago

August 9, 2018

Rockland Report Editor

“Be Prepared” – County Executive Ed Day

Last week we activated Rockland County’s Emergency Operations Center in Pomona, thankfully not for an actual emergency but for an Indian Point disaster drill. Rockland was one of four counties that practiced emergency responses in case an incident ever happened at the Indian Point nuclear power plant located just across the Hudson River in Buchanan.

Westchester, Putnam and Orange counties, as well as the State of New York also participated along with Entergy, the plants owner. For Rockland’s part, officials from County and State departments gathered at the fire training center in Pomona where they were graded by monitors from New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services on how well they responded to the scenario in the exercise.

Let me be clear; Rockland is ready to respond should a major crisis arise at the nuclear power plant owned and operated by Entergy. These exercises are held multiple times a year to ensure all first responders, and employees are well prepared in the event of an emergency.

The drill was led by our Office of Fire and Emergency Services but included the Departments of Health, Mental Health, Social Services, Planning, Transportation, Highway, Office for the Aging, Highway Department, Sheriff’s Department, Purchasing, and numerous other agencies from around the region and state.

Through coincidence a heavy thunderstorm struck during the drill, disrupting communications and injecting a real-world situation into this mock exercise. As a former law enforcement professional, I understand just how important it is to maintain our readiness for anything the real world may throw at us.

During the drill, Rockland employees tracked wind direction, radiation levels, implemented protective actions, tested communications, held media briefings, and issued updates about evacuations.

Rockland County stands ready to handle whatever comes next, but I sincerely hope we never have to put these skills to the test. Thank you to all the employees, first responders and especially our Office of Fire and Emergency Services for cooperating and coordinating so well before, during and after this drill.

For more information on what you should do in the event of a real emergency at Indian Point, including evacuation routes, emergency planning and ways to receive notifications visit the Fire and Emergency Services section of rocklandgov.com.

Häagen-Dazs “Free Cone Day” from 4 – 8 pm

Published

5 years ago

May 14, 2019

Rockland Report Editor

Find a location near you

Rockland Store

HÄAGEN-DAZS SHOP- Palisades Center
1000 Palisades Center Drive
West Nyack, NY 10994

“We Want a Contract!” By County Executive Ed Day

Published

5 years ago

March 2, 2019

Rockland Report Editor

“We Want a Contract!” By County Executive Ed Day

It’s time to settle. I am actively working with my administrative teams to review the 2019 financials and look for any financial opportunities that may result in potential modest increases on the base and/or lump sum payments to avoid contracts remaining unsettled.

I wanted to communicate and ensure transparency regarding union negotiations and where they stand to date. Most of our union contracts were expired as of 2017 and some as early as 2010. Understanding the magnitude of having outstanding contracts and the impact on the employees, I put aside $4 million in the 2018 budget to try and settle some of these union contracts.

In 2018 our Department of Personnel, on average, met monthly with union negotiators and offered operational proposals with monetary increases and lump sum payments. Not only did the Personnel Department meet with them repeatedly but so did I; it was that important to me. Some of the union contracts settled based on these offers. Other unions, despite being offered increases on their base pay and lump sum payments, left these offers on the table and some
did not even present these offers to the membership.

Since those offers were given, some unions have declared impasse and the New York Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) mediator made detailed mediator recommendations with lump sum payments to membership. Those recommended offers were all declined leaving unsettled contracts for another year. In all cases, these lump sum payments were significant and would also have counted towards pensionable earnings. To state or imply that either my
administration or I have not negotiated in good faith is pure fiction.

I have once again included money in this year’s budget (an additional $1.5 million) to go towards contract settlements but need to ensure fiscal responsibility is achieved at the same time; it is a balance. We finally have a positive fund balance but the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recommends
that the General Fund maintain an unrestricted fund balance of no less than 2 months of operating expenditures to be truly financially healthy. That’s between $50 and $90 million in the bank, nowhere near the $6.3 million we currently have. While these are positive signs, we still have a long way to go until we reach full
financial strength.

That said, I want to ensure that our hard-working and dedicated employees receive a fair contract. They have been critical to the modernization of County government and serving the public. But we will not spend money we do not have and will remain fiscally responsible. That has been the credo of this administration and as much as I want to see our employees get the raises they deserve I will not jeopardize our financial progress.

I want to do right by our employees, but there must be a balance between their needs and the need to safeguard taxpayer dollars. I sincerely hope that we can soon reach agreements with all of Rockland’s unions, and I look forward with working with them on fair settlements.