FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe Bachmeier, (845) 200-9716
*** MEDIA ADVISORY***
***Thursday, January 31st at 10:00 AM***
Brewster, N.Y. – 1/28/2013 – Governor Andrew Cuomo lacked to address the need for unfunded mandate relief in his State of the State and recent budget proposal. Senator Greg Ball (Patterson – R, C, I) is now renewing his call for a comprehensive unfunded mandate relief package. State Senator Greg Ball will be joined by Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell, Dutchess County Comptroller Jim Coughlan and other local elected officials to address the dire fiscal problems of struggling municipalities state-wide.
Underfunded mandates drive up costs of schools, municipalities, and the property taxes. In part, these mandates have forced New York to have some of the highest taxes in the nation.
“Unfunded mandates are crushing our local governments and school districts all across the state. We need unfunded mandate relief and we need it now,” said Senator Greg Ball. “From burdensome testing requirements, local reporting nightmares, administrative bureaucracy to very specific and costly MS4 requirements there are a myriad of opportunities for Albany to deliver relief.”
According to a recent report from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, from 2001 to 2011, total federal and state aid combined, grew at an average rate of 2.2 percent annually, slower than the rate of inflation (2.4 percent). From 2006 through 2011, expenses for state government grew by 17.4 percent, while revenues only increased by 15 percent. Additionally, about 24 percent of local governments that have filed with the Comptroller’s Office plan to override the tax cap this year. This is up from about 19 percent last year.
“The 2% tax cap was a good way to start the conversation about rightsizing government. However, local government and school districts are now in dire need of real unfunded mandate relief to sustain the cap without major cuts or filing for bankruptcy,” said Senator Greg Ball. “Step one begins with doing no more harm and immediately ending legislative action on all future unfunded mandates. Step two is to hold an up or down vote on a comprehensive mandate relief package.”
What: Unfunded Mandate Relief Press Conference
Who: Senator Greg Ball, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell, Dutchess County Comptroller Jim Coughlan & other local elected officials
When: Thursday, January 31st at 10:00 AM
Where: Yorktown Town Hall: 363 Underhill Ave, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
For more information, please contact Joe Bachmeier at (845) 200 9716.
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