On Thursday, Nov. 9, the County Legislature sustained my vetoes of $38 million in government spending in the 2001 county budget adopted by the majority of the legislature when efforts to override those vetoes failed. The vetoes cut in half the real property tax increase adopted by the county legislature majority while ensuring the future fiscal stability of Nassau County and the continued delivery of essential services for our residents.

Those vetoes cut the 15.4 percent tax increase, adopted by the legislature, by half - to 7.9 percent or $73 for the average household compared to the $162 tax increase adopted by the legislative majority.

The vetoes were necessary in order to cut unnecessary government spending. The budget that I proposed to the legislature on Sept. 15 cut government spending below that of the current year despite increasing expenses. It included the consolidation of departments, labor union concessions, downsizing of the union workforce and a 4 percent, or $33 per household tax increase, as compared to the 15.4 percent tax increase or $162 per household adopted by the legislative majority. The legislature's majority increased spending in my proposed budget by $61 million.

I am unable to roll back the entire legislative tax increase by veto because an additional $40 million in government spending cuts would require affirmative action by the legislature. I continue to urge these actions. These cuts in spending include additional departmental consolidations, further downsizing of the county workforce and the adoption of labor concessions.

While the legislature increased taxes to support a $10 million "rainy day fund," I vetoed this item since the budget is sound and a "rainy day fund" of this magnitude is unnecessary. Furthermore, the legislature's proposal to create a $10 million "rainy day fund" is contrary to the requirements of the Municipal House Rule law governing reserve funds.

Approximately $30 million in unanticipated revenue sources or three times the amount of the legislature sought to place in a "rainy day fund" will be available to the county in fiscal year 2001 to address any contingencies that arise and the $10 million contingency fund is unncessary. I will not, and I am urging the legislature not to use this surplus except in the event of emergencies.

Throughout this process, I have reviewed the county legislature's changes to the revenue estimates set forth in my budget. I have elected to accept the legislature's reductions in revenue estimates and am leaving those revenue estimates intact.

I have not vetoed and I support the appropriation for county aid to villages. Similarly, I did not veto the appropriation to the Cornell Cooperative Extension, since it is needed by Cornell Cooperative Extension as seed money for additional funding.

With the cuts in government spending intact, the budget, in its current form, strikes a reasonable balance among competing demands. A fiscally conservative budget is necessary to ensure the county's short- and long-term fiscal stability.