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RYE, N.Y. – With the implementation of the 2 percent tax cap, the burden of unfunded mandates on local and Westchester County taxpayers has become nearly unbearable, a five member panel consisting of County Executive Rob Astorino and other state and local dignitaries said Thursday night.
The forum panel, which was sponsored by the Rye, Rye Brook and Port Chester League of Women Voters, consisted of State Assembly member Sandy Galef (D-Ossining), Rye Brook Mayor Joan Feinstien and Rye Neck Superintendent Peter Mustich. NYS League of Women Voters Legislative Director Barbara Bartoletti moderated the forum.
In his presentation to the public, Executive Director of New York Association of Counties Stephen Acquario said an unfunded mandate is an obligatory policy order handed down from either the federal or state government that does not come with funding. With no funding attached, the local taxpayer ends up getting left with the check, he said.
Acquario said there are currently 40 unfunded mandates financed by local tax dollars within the county. Nine of those 40 make up for 90 percent of the county's property tax levy, he said.
"The math overwhelms the ability of the county, or any local municipality, within their budget," Acquario said, "Unfunded mandates put counties between a rock and a hard place."
Feinstein, who along with her fellow non-partisan trustees voted to override the tax cap as a matter of protest, continued to voice her disagreement with both the 2 percent tax cap and unfunded mandates.
"I'm vehemently against the tax cap. I've said it often and I say it anytime I get the opportunity. Why do I say that? Because it wasn't coupled with mandate relief," Feinstein said. "I'm angry at Albany."
Astorino voiced his support for Feinstein and said that, although unfunded mandates are a problem now, the projected future increase in employee pensions presents an even larger problem down the road.
"It puts enormous amount of pressure on our budgets and we have no control," Astorino said. "Our bill for pensions alone exceed the cap and then when you add Medicaid, there's no possibility we can do it. When you look at the next three years, not 30 years, it's frightening."
Astorino said that in 11 years, since 2001, the county's pension bill went from $4 million to $79 million. Astorino also said the estimated bill in 2013 will exceed $100 million and that 82 cents of every tax payer dollar goes to Albany.
Galef, who represented Albany, encouraged members of the public concerned about the growing burden of unfunded mandates to voice their opinions to their elected officials to enact change.
"I'm one of 150," Galef said. "It's not an easy place to make things happen. It's a very complicated state and I need the public to come out and say 'this is important to us and this needs to change.'"
Comments (3)
Yes mandates hurt Westchester, specially ones that don't work.
Taxpayers are being taxed out of their homes and the 2% cap
is nothing more than one big joke because its never enforced.
Second we need mandates on spending and cutting back on
all wasteful spending, including all the personal expenditures.
We need mandates that reduces the size of both County and
local government throughout Westchester County.
We need mandates that give all farmers a fair shake. Most
local municipalities are driving small farms out of business.
There is absolutely no fairness in the way the Westchester
County Agriculture and Farmland Protection board and its
process works. There is way too much political involvment.
We need mandates that stop wasteful spending on all levels of government.
We also need mandates that stop corruption on every level of government.
We need mandates that cut taxes by consolidating dept's and reduces the
size of government on every level. There is no reason why Westchester County
needs nearly 6000 county employeees to run our County. We need to cut it in half.
We need mandates that stop no bid contracts here in Westchester County.
We need mandates that provide relief for people who are being intentionally
over taxed and over assessed by the local assessor in each town, village or city.
We need an indenpently run Westchester County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board
and not one that is controled by politicians who do political favors for others. Farmers need a
level playing field and not a crooked stacked deck that are dealt them.
Thank you Astorino and Feinstein for telling the truth. As Astorino said, voters are the victim of a scam, namely, a tax cap without mandate relief. and the economic situation is "frightening." The NYS Legislature won't admit this in an election year, because its unchecked and excessive mandated spending in county, school, town budgets is to blame. Voters can't fix a problem they aren't informed about, so the Legislature withholds the storm warning. The Legislators correctly assume voters won't support them once voters understand the state's scam.
How does the scam work? The Legislature's tax cap limits county, school, and town spending, but permits the Legislature's mandated spending to escalate uncontrollably. The Legislature eats all it wants, but forces local governments onto a diet. Result, many teacher and other employee layoffs will occur throughout the state in the next 2-3 years if nothing is done. The Layoff Legislature is becoming the teachers unemployment agency - a serious threat to quality of public education.
Two things are needed. As Galef says, voters must pressure Senators and Assemblymen, including her, for mandate relief. One way to do this is to sign BEST4NY's Mandate Relief petition - google that group for its website and petition, then please sign. Assemblyman Bob Castelli, the NYS School Boards Association, various school board members and mayors and many voters, have signed. Uninvolved voters allow the destructive status quo to continue.
The other thing needed is for NYS Senators and Assemblymen, one vote at a time, to publicly endorse mandate relief legislation that fixes things. For example, at the meeting Galef endorsed Assemblyman Bob Castelli's bill for a 2 year freeze on the Triborough Amendment and then endorsed extending the freeze to 10 years. Bravo - that's progress. Her bill for an income tax school surcharge is not - it perpetuates the status quo by not limiting spending..
The tax cap is not the problem and overriding it isn't a sustainable long-term solution. The tax cap is half a solution - mandate relief is the missing half. Please sign the BEST4NY Mandate Relief petition and help make mandate relief happen.