Judge Refunds Half of Huge Yonkers Fine

A federal judge Wednesday gave back more than half of the money paid by Yonkers as contempt fines, then ordered all parties in the city’s desegregation case to quickly review a new housing plan proposed by the city.

“We must move forward with as much speed as circumstances permit,” U.S. District Judge Leonard B. Sand said. “This case is eight years old, and there’s not a single resident of Yonkers who is a member of the plaintiff class whose housing opportunities have been increased by virtue of this litigation.”

The new plan, designed to lessen the impact of 200 units of low-income housing by mixing some of it with middle- and upper-income units, would have to be approved by the Justice Department, Sand and the City Council before it could replace the original plan imposed by Sand.

Seek Substitute Plan

That plan had been resisted by the City Council, causing Sand to find the city in contempt of court and fine it a total of $1,638,300 before the council gave in early last Saturday. In voting to approve incentives for Sand’s plan, the council asked that the substitute plan be considered.

Sand returned a check for $819,200 on Wednesday, essentially refunding the fine incurred the day before the council gave in.

The refund meant that the contempt citation had cost Yonkers $450,505. Although the escalating fines had totaled $819,100 before last Thursday, $368,595 of that had been designated for city schools.

The judge gave the parties until Sept. 30 to respond to the new plan.

It would put about 100 units of subsidized low-income housing on four sites on Yonkers’ predominantly white East Side. An additional 500 apartments on two sites would include about 100 low-income units.