52 days to reduce mandates?

DUTCHESS COUNTY — Can a committee of 23 people appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the Mandate Relief Redesign Team on Friday, Jan. 7, to make recommendations on reducing the impact of state mandates on New York property and school taxes come up with an initial set of recommendations by Tuesday,  March 1?

State Assemblyman Marc Molinaro, who easily won re-election to New York’s 103 District in November’s 2010 election, was one of four state elected officials appointed to the committee. He thinks the short timeline is a necessity in order to provide input to the state budget by the Thursday,  March 31, deadline.  

In his press release announcing the creation of the committee, Cuomo stated, “These unfunded and underfunded mandates are one reason why taxes are so high, and this new Mandate Relief Redesign Team will begin a top-to-bottom review of the system to help bring needed relief to taxpayers.�

The committee includes seven members from the education sector, including the state Department of Education, school superintendents and the teacher’s union, two county and three city and town government leaders, three business associations, two other union groups and one nonpartisan tax watchdog group. The committee is chaired by senior advisor to the governor, and reportedly the highest paid state employee, Larry Schwartz, a hold-over from the Paterson administration.

What could any of this mean to taxes at the local level? Cuomo claims, “When property taxes were measured as a percentage of home value in 2009, nine out of the top 10 counties in the nation were all in upstate New York.â€�  

Millbrook Mayor and Bookkeeper for the town of Washington Laura Hurley sees the costs of pension contribution amounts as the major unfunded mandates affecting local village and town government.

“We never know how significantly the contribution percentage will change,� she said.

Hurley cited changing state aid rules for election costs, revaluation expenses, street sign replacement and even dog licensing as additional mandates impacting town and village taxes.

At the county level the big impact is the expense and changing rules for sharing Medicaid costs. As an example, Molinaro pointed out that initially the state paid 51 percent of these mandated costs but has now reduced its contribution to 49 percent.

During the county budget discussions, Michael Kelsey, representing District 25 in the Dutchess County Legislature, estimated that the $72 million of the $400 million county budget is attributable to state mandates. More than half of this amount is $39 million in Medicaid costs, with special education accounting for an additional $9 million. And of course state-mandated pension contributions are another rising cost.

School taxes are also impacted by mandates. Millbrook Superintendent of Schools Lloyd Jaeger says it is difficult to estimate the total cost of unfunded or under-funded mandates on the district’s budget or even identify all of them. While the state provides some funding for many of its mandates, the amount often doesn’t cover the expense or the state just changes the rules.

For example, “As a cost savings measure New York state, which requires Regents exams to be given by schools, no longer prints and distributes them,� Jaeger said.

This means that each school district must arrange to print the exams locally at a cost of $3 to $6 per pupil per test. The No Child Left Behind Act does not provide money to pay for grading the tests. State special education mandates are very specific about teacher-student ratios and class sizes, which results in the hiring of additional teachers but not improved results.  

“We need more flexibility and control at the local level to meet mandates and be more cost efficient,� Jaeger commented.

Molinaro is optimistic about the work of the committee.

“There are so many layers of local, county and state government,� he said. “Inefficiency is the reason for our high costs.�

Molinaro said he hopes that the committee will be able to identify these areas, evaluate the delivery of services and then decide whether or not they are necessary.

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