Yoga studios in New York have been exempted from paying sales taxes because tax officials say the popular form of exercise is primarily a spiritual practice. After considering it for a year – and previously ruling yoga studios should pay taxes like other fitness centers – the state Dept. of… Read More →
The Westchester Board of Legislators filed a lawsuit last week challenging County Executive Rob Astorino’s decision to leave a long list of capital projects the board added to the 2011 and 2012 budgets out of the budget document. The Astorino administration has argued the board did not follow proper procedure… Read More →
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced today that his office stopped $1.4 million in unemployment payments to recipients who were either employed, dead or unauthorized to work in this country. Nearly $1 million for such claims already had been paid out. Auditors, who examined state Department of Labor payments during 2011, learned… Read More →
From The Hall Monitor, a Journal News blog: An official from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office who called on condition his information was just for “background” has confirmed that a story in today’s Wall Street Journal is accurate and the governor will veto a bill that would change the criteria for… Read More →
Sandra Simpson, the chief operating officer of Southern Westchester BOCES, has moxie. She helped orchestrate the removal of her predecessor, District Superintendent Bob Monson, over his residence in a Stamford condominium complex. When she was named chief operating officer in 2010, she became the regional education agency’s executive officer and… Read More →
While plenty of state lawmakers have privately groused that they’re due their first pay raise since 1999, few have been publicly supportive. Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson, D-Mt. Vernon, Westchester County, is the exception. The veteran senator voiced her support earlier this week, telling the Times Union she would be willing to… Read More →
Both revenue and attendance are down at Playland through mid-July compared to last year, according to figures provided to the Westchester Board of Legislators Government Operations Committee this week. As of July 15, 193,749 people went to the county-owned amusement park this year compared to 205,825 last year. The park… Read More →
In case you’re interested, here are the back and forth press releases regarding Westchester’s 2011 budget reconciliation and financial statements. This line, in chronological order, starts with an announcement of the closing of the books on the 2011 budget and goes on from there: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 18, 2012 ... Read More →
The Citizens Budget Commission has a map today that details the “extraordinary variations” in state school aid among districts. Schools get about $20 billion in school aid, up $805 billion from the previous year. School-aid formulas—based on a district’s wealth and other factors, including lobbying from lawmakers—have long been a… Read More →
Eight in 10 New York voters oppose the idea of a pay raise for state lawmakers, according to a poll released Thursday. Just 16 percent support a legislative pay increase, the Quinnipiac University survey found. While the opposition decreased when linking a raise with an increase in the state’s minimum… Read More →
