Mayor Thomas — Cutting Through Red Tape
There is no getting around it, taxes in Mount Vernon are too high. For too long, homeowners have had the burden of funding the city and the city has failed to provide adequate services in return. The Thomas administration has changed that. The city is striving to operate like a small business, prioritizing customer service, increasing quality of life, and being responsive to the needs of the people. By eliminating politics from the process, we are making City Hall work for you and creating conditions for jobs to be created, simply by increasing operational efficiency.
A clear example of the “customer first” policy is the Buildings Department. When Mayor Thomas took office in 2016, there was a backlog of 450 building permits ranging from extensive commercial roofing projects to simple residential kitchen upgrades. Some of the permit applications even dated back to 2014. Now the backlog is ZERO and the city gained an additional $880,000 in revenue! The strategic assistance of the Mount Vernon Industrial Development Agency enabled $2.4 million in new investments into our community.
You may be asking what this means for you. It means that there is $2.4 million flowing through our local economy now that wasn’t there before. This means more lunches sold at the local deli because workers are eating in the city. This means more tools and materials sold at Home Depot locally. This means more sales tax revenue for Mount Vernon. This means workers being able to earn a living wage and provide for their families. This means achieving new dreams and seizing new opportunities.
This also means that homeowners are able to make crucial capital investments, improving their homes and increasing the value of their property. Businesses are able to install modern equipment that will make them more attractive for new/existing customers. No one wants to wait a year to get a permit to fix a roof. The faster the Buildings Department moves, the faster the economy moves. Mount Vernon deserves a government that is streamlined and works effectively for the people that we serve.
A stronger economy also means a better quality of life. A Building Department that cuts through red tape is a Building Department that prioritizes your time and safety. For example, in 2007, two FDNY firefighters lost their lives in a fire because the contractors who were demolishing the building illegally shut off the water supply and standpipes, leaving the construction site without any firefighting tools. Disaster was averted when the Building Department caught new construction in the city, located at 203 Gramatan, for illegally shutting off the water during construction presenting the same threat. Other inspections found failed concrete representing a larger threat to the public. Our Building Department will continue to take corrective actions across Mount Vernon to strengthen efficiency and ensure safety standards are met.
Originally Published in “Westchester County Press” — May 15, 2017
