MOUNT VERNON, NY — Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard and Council President Marcus A. Griffith were both present at a special session of the Board of Estimate and Contract called to declare a city fuel shortage and to order the Mount Vernon Comptroller's office to pay outstanding, past due fuel bills from the city's fuel vendor, Sprague Operating Resources.
Notably absent from the special virtual session was Mount Vernon Comptroller Deborah Reynolds. Reynolds has not responded to requests for comment from Patch.
"As of last night, we have gone down to rationing gas to our public safety vehicles for 5 gallons," Mayor Patterson-Howard explained. "Right now, we, the only thing that we can give each of our public safety vehicles is 5 gallons of gas. That's 5 gallons for fire, for DPW, for police vehicles. This is critical because if we do not get these bills paid right away, we will not be able to operate any city-owned vehicles in the city of Mount Vernon unless we go to a gas station."
According to the mayor, the blame for the fuel rationing measures lays squarely at the feet of the comptroller. Patterson-Howard noted that although the issue recently came to a head, the problem has been ongoing for nearly a year.
"The comptroller has failed to pay our fuel bills to Sprague, to United Metro and to Global," Patterson-Howard told the special session. "We have invoices going back to July. I went to the Comptroller's office yesterday. We've been going back and forth for months trying to get her to pay these bills. Right now, we are at a critical juncture."
Patterson-Howard said that the city is nearly $118,000 in arrears to its fuel supplier. She indicated that Comptroller Reynolds agreed to make some form of payment to the vendors, but said that it may be a case of too-little-too-late.
"I went down there and stayed for 5 minutes and insisted that she do something," the mayor lamented in the public meeting. "She walked away from me three times. She cut 2 checks totaling $22,845.59 which I did sign. We have asked her if Sprague could pick them up - if we can deliver them to Sprague. Was she going to FedEx overnight them? We have not heard anything from them. And yet again, still, because Sprague, Global and United have now severed their contracts with us and the payment timelines and guidelines that we had with them, I can't tell you, as of right now, we are reaching out to them if this $22,845.59 will be enough for them to release fuel to us."
This isn't the first time the comptroller's perceived reticence to release approved funds has grabbed headlines. Earlier this month, city employees protested on the steps of City Hall complaining that unpaid bills for approved budget items (including pandemic-related overtime pay) have made working conditions untenable. Former Mount Vernon Mayor and current Mount Vernon Comptroller candidate Richard Thomas indicated that the current comptroller's unwillingness to issue checks for approved repair and maintenance may have indirectly led to the flood and boiler malfunction that caused the City Hall building to close indefinitely.
"I hope someone will ask these questions for the people of Mount Vernon," Thomas told Patch earlier this month. "Why aren't these bills being paid? The funds have been approved. The comptroller just isn't writing the checks. Why are the people of Mount Vernon suffering? Why are city workers forced to endure these conditions?"
Although the problems stemming from infighting among elected officials and unpaid bills resulting in refused services in Mount Vernon show little sign of being resolved anytime soon, Mayor Patterson-Howard has indicated that there may be emergency relief on the way. Mount Vernon officials are in talks with both county officials and Albany.
"Westchester County is working with us to have fuel delivered that will last 10 to 14 days," Mayor Patterson-Howard wrote in a social media post on Friday. "We are working with the Governor's office for a longer term solution."
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March 28, 2021 at 06:30AM
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Gas Rationing For Police: Mayor Declares Fuel Emergency - Patch.com
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