WC reaches budget deal, avoids tax increase

Westchester County lawmakers have reached a deal on the 2016 budget.
Legislators are calling it a "compromise budget" that was able to avoid a tax hike.
Chairman Michael Kaplowitz and vice chair Jim Maisano say they believe they will have enough votes to pass the budget on Monday.
For the sixth consecutive year, Westchester County residents will not see a tax increase. At the same time, funding has been restored for services like domestic violence victims, parks and six public safety officers through employee vacancies and other cash-saving moves.
Many legislators are concerned that not increasing taxes by 1 percent in 2016 is going to hurt in the long run. County Executive Astorino disagrees.
"I reject the notion that we should be just raising taxes," says Astorino. "We should be doing that as the absolute last resort and they just approved today by agreeing to a budget that does not increase taxes that were not at that point yet."
It was not immediately clear which nonprofit groups did not receive any funding from county government this year.