Astorino Talks Property Taxes, Tappan Zee and Small Business

As he spoke to a semi-crowded room of people at Mamaroneck Town Hall last night, County Executive Rob Astornio talked about how his administration has made cost-cutting and getting rid of wasteful spending priorities in tough economic times.

Since he took office in 2009, said Astorino, his administration has trimmed budgetary expenses from $1.8 billion to $1.7 billion.

"We have put the breaks on spending in a real way," he said.

Despite these changes, he said, costs for pensions are "soaring out of control." Since 2001, pension costs have skyrocketed from $3.3 million to a projected cost of $95 million in 2014.

He pointed to the cost for an average employee in the private sector who makes $63,515 annually; a Westchester County public employee makes $73,789; with fringe benefits, their total salary comes out to $113,635.