Axe Falls Hard On Rockland County Budget Proposal

ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - The axe is falling hard in the budget proposal from the Rockland County executive.

It's personally painful, but necessary, says County Executive Ed Day.

From day one, he faced a near $140 million deficit, WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported. The former NYPD detective is reluctantly proposing to cut the sheriff's patrol 37 officers.

"I was told by the folks who saw this press conference that they could see me getting choked up," he said.

Listen to Axe Falls Hard On Rockland County Budget Proposal

Day said they were $42,000 away from defaulting in January of this year.

Legislature Chairman Alden Wolfe says cuts will have a "devastating impact on public safety and services to our most needy of citizens," including seniors, children, disabled and the mentally ill.

Day says he hopes they can crunch the numbers in the coming weeks so as to mitigate the pain.

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