“Westchester’s economy is steadily showing signs of real improvement, but it’s still fragile and families continue to struggle,” Astorino explained in a statement. “The last thing we want to do is place an additional burden on people who are working hard to improve their economic position through education. So it was vital that we approached next year’s budget with the mindset that we are not going to increase tuition costs for thousands of Westchester families."
WCC’s annual spending plan for 2013-14 includes a total operating budget of $122.3 million, of which $28.7 million is subsidized directly by county taxpayers, up from $27.8 million in 2012-13.
The budget also calls for a separate $1.1 million capital program that will fund two projects. The first is a multi-year planning study that will assess current and future infrastructure needs at the college’s main 218-acre campus in Valhalla. The second will replace roofs on various campus buildings.
Later this year, for the fourth year in a row, Astorino will propose a county operating budget with no tax increases. Under Astorino, the county property tax levy has been lowered two percent.
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