Taxpayers to foot the bill for county inauguration ceremony

Westchester taxpayers will be footing the bill for the inauguration ceremony for county officials.

Twenty county lawmakers will be sworn in for a new term on January 1 in White Plains. The bill for the ceremony will reportedly be about $20,000 and will come from the county budget. Westchester County is different from state and federal governments, where similar ceremonies are paid for with campaign funds or private donations.

This comes on the heels of the county Board of Legislators approving a $1.5 billion budget with a property tax hike of about 4 percent. The board has also come under fire as it has been considering giving members significant pay hikes.

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