March 21, 2008
State Budget Negotiations Stall as Governor Calls for Additional Spending Cuts
The Governor and State legislative leaders failed to agree this week on the amount state is able to spend, putting off until next week any meaningful progress on the State Budget, which is due by the April 1st start of the State fiscal year. In addition, Governor Paterson called for $800 million in additional spending reductions which he deemed necessary to protect the state’s finances in an increasingly difficult economic and fiscal climate.
The Governor’s proposal includes an additional two percent reduction for all local assistance spending excluding education as well as entitlement programs in the areas of health, public assistance, and others. These cuts would decrease the total state spending growth from 4.8 percent to 3.7 percent compared to the Executive Budget.
Counties are encouraged to continue communicating with lawmakers their opposition to proposed cost shifts, including the increased local share of welfare and elimination of the state share of local youth detention. Both of these cost shifts, if enacted, will lead to increased local property taxes. (Ken Crannell)
NYSAC Host Summit with County Nursing Facilities of NY
On Wednesday, the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) brought together more than 60 elected county leaders and county health care industry leaders to discuss a growing crisis in New York State—housing and medical care for the frail and needy in county government operated homes.
Thirty six of the state’s 57 counties outside of New York City operate 38 public nursing homes. Collectively, these homes operate in the red by over $100 million annually. Federal and state Medicaid policies disadvantage these homes which operate as the safety net for New York’s neediest residents.
The event marked the first time that elected county leaders and professional nursing home administrators convened for the sole purpose of determining their survival.
Long term care is one of the vital services our counties provide and it is under threat because our governments and taxpayers cannot afford to continue subsidizing these huge operational deficits. NYSAC hosted this summit to facilitate a dialogue between counties and the state that will hopefully lead to strategies for resolving our current crisis.
As millions of baby boomers retire in the next 10 to 20 years, the need for long term care will increase dramatically. We must solve the problems we face today, and also look at ways we can provide quality long-term health care in the coming decades.
At the conclusion of the summit, county officials agreed to develop a state-county task force designed to do strategic planning on how the unique nature of our homes can be positioned to serve the needy. Secondly, county officials expressed an interest in looking at behavioral care and bariatric services.
Counties receive grants to streamline property tax administration, and collection
Governor Paterson this week announced that forty-three counties will receive $3.6 million in grants to study how they can reduce local government costs by making property tax assessment and collection more efficient.
Counties will receive grants of $50,000 to study collaborative approaches to local assessing. The grant program provides county and local officials with funding to study ways to improve uniform assessing and/or explore collaborative approaches to local assessing.
To help facilitate collaboration on local tax collection, a number of counties will receive grants of $50,000 to study and implement a countywide database for tax collection and enforcement information. The grants will be administered by the Office of Real Property Services in cooperation with the Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness.
In New York State there are 1,128 different government entities providing assessments for taxpayers, compared to a national median of 85. New York is also one of only three states that do not have a statewide uniform assessment standard. In a resolution passed at the 2008 NYSAC legislative conference, counties voiced their support for these grants and other measures aimed at making the administration of real property taxes more equitable and efficient. (Pete Savage)
New York’s Population Growth Rate Continues to Lag Behind Rest of Nation
New York State population has grown at a rate of 1.7% to 19,297,729 since the last census in 2000, according to population estimates release by the US Bureau of the Census this week. These estimates of population represent an increase of 320,908 New Yorkers from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007.
During the same period, the nation grew at a rate of 7.2 percent to 301,621,157 and increase of over 20 million people since the last census. New York ranked 17th in the nation in total population increase and 43rd in percentage of population increase when compared with other states. Florida, the 4th largest state in the union, grew at a rate of 14.2 percent for the same period, just over 1 million people behind New York.
Only 2 New York State counties – Orange at 10.5 percent and Saratoga at 7.6 percent – exceeded the national growth rate. A total of 22 counties exceeded the overall state growth rate of 1.7 percent. Five counties grew at less than the State wide percentage growth rate. A total of 33 counties have lost population since the last census, 32 of which are located in Upstate New York.
The Census Bureau’s population estimates are used to determine each state’s relative share of funds going to states under federal funding formulas. New York’s continued slow growth rate will probably result in a decrease of federal funding to New York. If current estimates are borne out by the census in 2010, New York is in danger of losing at least 2 additional congressional seats as well as federal formula funding.
NYSAC, Cornell University, the New York Data Center at Empire State Development and the Pelletier Institute is planning a Webinar to discuss the implications of these population estimates. The Webinar will also include information on how counties can challenge the Census Bureau’s estimates. NYSAC will send out a notification of the date and time of this training session in the near future.
Counties are urged to closely examine their population estimates to determine their accuracy. Copies of the Census Bureau population estimate tables can be downloaded from our website at www.nysac.org/Policy_and_Research/. (Jeff Osinski)
Governor signs Blood Donation Leave Chapter Amendment into Law
Governor David Paterson has signed a chapter amendment (S6490 Nozzolio) to allow employers to meet their mandated requirement to provide their employees leave time to donate blood by sponsoring at least 2 blood drives per year (chapter 31 of the laws of 2008).
Last year, the legislature enacted and the Governor signed into law as chapter 578 of 2007 to mandate that all employers with more than 20 employees provide at least three hours of leave time to their employees for the purposes of donating blood. The bill was signed by the Governor with the proviso that a chapter amendment be introduced to allow employers to provide at least 2 blood drives at company locations through out the year as a way of meeting the leave requirement (Governor’s approval memo 31).
Under the terms of this chapter amendment, counties will be able to meet their requirements to provide three hours of excused leave per year to donate blood by sponsoring at least 2 blood drives at a convenient location or at a county facility or worksite. Employees must be provided paid leave to participate in these blood drives without charging any accumulated leave credits. (Jeff Osinski)
State Provides $5 Million in Universal Broadband Funding
Governor Paterson this week announced funding for nine public/private sector partnerships to help promote the research, design and implementation projects designed to help the digital divide in New York State. The projects are intended to help provide affordable broadband Internet access for underserved urban and rural communities throughout the state.
“High speed Internet is an essential communication tool for the 21st century. These grants will connect government and business organizations with their constituency and customers,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario, who sits on the New York State Council for Universal Broadband. The Council is charged with developing strategies to ensure every New Yorker has access to affordable, high-speed Internet service.
Two of the recipients included:
- The Southern Tier West Regional Planning & Development Board, which received $613,000 to help connect 9,000 customers in northern Allegany County.
- Communities Connecting of Columbia County, Inc., which will use its $156,631 to lay 130 miles of redundant fiber optic cable in rural Columbia County.
Click here for a link to the Governor’s Press Release and other grant recipients.
NYSAC to Host Tour of State Corrections Food Production Center
NYSAC has invited member county officials from around the State to join NYSAC for a tour of the New York State Department of Correctional Services’ (DOCS) Food Production Center in Rome, NY. The tour will take place at 10:30 a.m. on April 10th and allow county officials the opportunity see this operation first hand and learn about a new opportunity to purchase these meals for your county jail.
The DOCS “Cook/Chill” facility provides low-cost, nutritional meals to inmates in state correctional facilities, and the 2008-09 Executive Budget Proposal includes a provision to counties to contract with this facility to provide the same low cost meals to county jails. (Adriano Bongiorno)
42nd County Finance School Registration Underway
Sign up today for the 42nd County Finance School, which will be held at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel on April 30-May 2, 2008. It offers an array of programs designed to support county budget operations and other critical financial issues.
For more information and to register, visit
www.nysac.org/Conferences/Finance_School.php.
Save the date for the NYSAC Fall Seminar
The NYSAC Fall Seminar will be held September 24-26, 2008 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County.
