Our County has been through much this past year and the Democratic majority has developed a budget plan it feels will deliver the county from the brink of insolvency and send us on the way to an extended and sustainable recovery.

The amendments we made to the county executive's budget will keep the county whole, while still downsizing and reducing expenditures. By implementing these measures, the budget plan will provide the county with a foundation in which the sensible and thoughtful restructuring and streamlining of county government can take place. It makes the declaration of independence from these seven dirty words of County government-"But it's always been done that way." With that being said I would like to discuss the logic behind our 2001 budget and four-year budget plan.

First, the 2001 budget plan is part of an effort that began in the beginning of the year to cut spending by $109 million. Included in this plan is the rejection of the proposed police contracts that include benefit increases that are unsupportable in the context of overall spending restraint. So, we also had to distinguish between what is essential and what is excessive in county government and strive to achieve a level of spending that is consistent with that objective.

Second, what also came through in the hearings on the county executive's budget was that too often there was a lack of meaningful communications between the executive branch and its departments about the impact of the budget. As a result, you had department heads stating that they would no longer be able to adequately perform their designated function due to the cuts.

This is why our proposal rejected the county executive's plan to layoff of 350 CSEA employees. The county work force is already being reduced by 700 due to retirements and voluntary severance. The inability of these departments to carry out their services would have denied residents what they rightfully deserve. It is unconscionable to imagine roadways not being plowed after a snowfall, parks not being properly policed or maintained, and public buses not running anymore.

Third, I would like to address the buzz about the tax increase proposed in our budget plan. The plan proposes a 3-percent increase in the overall property tax, which translates into a 16.3 percent increase in the county portion of the property tax bill, or about $165. The tax is deductible on the tax returns of those who itemize their deductions. The increase in taxes is not a quick fix for this problem, but rather one in a long list of remedies being used to shore up the system.

It is also important to remember that we had to resort to a tax increase of this size for 2001 only after an additional $87 million in unforeseen costs surfaced since early September. Even with all of this, I know that there will be some that will say that this is a "big" tax increase. My answer to them is simply this: it was the fear of headlines just like that which has for all too many years scared political leaders into creating the mess that we are now trying to solve.

It is clear that the people of this county want the budget problem fixed. I'm not saying that they are bored reading about this every time they open a newspaper or hearing about it every time they turn on their TV and radio, but it is clear that they are sick and tired of feeling that nothing is being done to solve it. What we've heard over and over from our constituents is "just get on with it."

The plans that we have presented take up and meet the challenge of NIFA to present budget plans that are "bulletproof" in Fiscal Years 2001 and 2002 and that offer a realistic and comprehensive roadmap for achieving a balanced budget in Fiscal Years 2003 and 2004. At the same time, they retain local control and accountability over the priorities of our budgetary decision making. In addition, unlike the past in which budgetary initiatives frequently fell short of their deficit reduction mark, the initiatives in these budget plans are likely to have understated how much deficit reduction they will produce.

Thomas Jefferson said, "We steer our ship with hope, leaving fear astern," but this budget and financial plan are based on more than hope. They are also confidently based in the realistic expectation that they carry the tools to do the job that has been entrusted to us by the residents of this county. It is with that hope and confidence along with the help of NIFA, the county executive, the legislative minority, the good will of the county workforces and the public, that we can work together to move into an era of responsible, properly managed government.