October 7, 2008
State Revenue Projections Weaken, Governor Calls 2nd Special Session
On Friday, Governor Paterson announced that he has called the State Legislature back for a special session on November 18 to address the $1.2 billion current-year budget shortfall resulting from the ongoing economic crisis on Wall Street. The Governor has asked the Senate and Assembly to identify $2 billion in savings from all aspects of the State budget.
Governor Paterson also announced he would deliver his 2009-10 Executive Budget on December 16, 2008, which is more than one month earlier than expected. The Governor believes that this accelerated budget process will give the State a head start on closing its substantial future budget gaps and help ensure that a balanced budget is enacted well before the April 1st start of the state fiscal year.
A video of Friday’s meeting between legislative leaders is available online at www.ny.gov/governor/index.html; as is a preliminary report on the impact of the economic crisis on the State budget www.budget.state.ny.us/pubs/press/2008/PreliminaryAnalysisofRecentBudgetDevelopments.pdf. (Ken Crannell)
County Delegates Adopt Series of Resolutions, Topped by Call to Stop Cost Shifts
At last month’s Fall Seminar, county delegates passed a series of resolutions designed to direct the advocacy priorities for counties and the NYSAC organization. Given the ongoing economic downturn and its impact on state revenues, delegates voted to prioritize a resolution opposing state budget cost shifts on counties.
During these difficult financial times where revenues do not meet current state budget expenditures, it is certainly understandable to control spending. NYSAC believes the proper course of action is to restructure and eliminate unnecessary and wasteful spending, rather than simply implement across the board cost shifts without examining the merits of each program and service.
Counties are urged to take a proactive affirmative stance against state budget cost shifting to counties and pass this resolution within your local legislative body at the next available opportunity.
Visit our website at www.nysac.org/Legislative_Action_Center/2008_Fall_Resolutions.php to access the priority cost shifting resolution and all of the other measures adopted by county delegates. (Ken Crannell)
Still Time to Collect Economic Stimulus Checks
We all remember that in February, Congress approved Economic Stimulus Payments for 130 million households. But data shows there are still 4.3 million low-income Social Security and Veteran’s Administration beneficiaries who have not filed a 2007 tax return and as a result, have yet to receive their Economic Stimulus Payment. Of those 4.3 million people, 346,770 reside throughout New York State and have yet to file and receive over $104 million in unclaimed payments.
It certainly seems like it should be simple: file and get your money. But, there’s a caveat: most of these populations are not otherwise required to file. Therefore, they are at-risk of missing out on these vital payments, which could help as the cold weather begins and the price of food and utilities continues to rise.
The IRS is allowing people until October 15 to file for their payments. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is able to identify the counties and zip codes where outreach is needed most. To see the fact sheet and numbers by county in New York, go to www.cbpp.org/states/7-28-08stim-fact-ny.pdf. For county specific information, you may contact the Center directly at 202-408-1080 or stimuluspayment@cbpp.org. (Jessica Morelli)
Appellate Court Strikes Down Dillenburg Tax Decision
A state appeals court has rejected a ban on local tax collections on state-owned land, a move that ensures approximately $70 million in annual tax payments to local governments in the Adirondack and Catskill parks. Last year, in a case called Dillenburg vs. New York, Supreme Court Justice Timothy Walker issued an order prohibiting the state from making property tax payments on all lands managed by the Department of Environmental Conservation. A copy of the ruling is available by contacting the NYSAC Offices. (Ken Crannell)
NYSAC to Host Webinar on the State Comptroller’s new Time and Reporting Regs
Next year, all local governments will need to adopt resolutions specifying the amount of time elected and appointed officials work on behalf of the public. This is one of the new requirements initiated by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli last month as part of the State’s efforts to promote increased accountability and transparency of the New York State and Local Retirement System.
On October 20, 2008, NYSAC will host a Webinar on the new time and reporting regulations. Officials from the NYS Office of the State Comptroller will present specifics of the new regulations and answer questions that county officials may have about the implementation of the new regulations.
The Webinar is designed for clerks of county boards, legislators, supervisors, clerks, treasurers, and other elected and appointed county officials with questions about how these regulations will impact their status in the retirement system.
To register, visit www.nysac.org. (Ken Crannell)
Governor’s Clean Water Collaborative Meets
In August, Governor Paterson called on Federal leaders to address the steep decline in federal aid for the upkeep and repair of municipal waste-water and drinking water treatment facilities. To assist him in the effort to increase this vital aid, the Governor created the Clean Water Collaborative to focus on funding solutions for the state's mounting waste water and drinking water infrastructure needs.
The group, co-chaired by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Ross Pepe, the Executive Director of the Construction Industry Council and Building Contractors Association, met in Albany on Monday to outline a strategy for increasing federal funding for this important issue given the tough financial times ahead for all levels of government. Representing county interests on the collaborative are Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney and NYSAC Executive Director Steve Acquario.
Federal support for water infrastructure has declined roughly 70 percent over the last two decades, delaying critical maintenance and contributing to Clean Water Act violations. Repairs to the aging systems are estimated to cost taxpayers almost $50 billion dollars over the next twenty years. (Pete Savage)
Empowering Communities for Successful Aging
The New York State Office for the Aging, in partnership with several organizations, is leading the effort to assist civic leaders in addressing the needs of the rapidly increasing aging population, and challenges to local infrastructure, by providing them with access to the best practices and experts in the field. They are hosting a conference on November 12-13 in Saratoga Springs, NY. This conference will begin an important discussion designed to lead to local action by providing technical assistance tools to ensure that community leaders are equipped to plan and prepare for the challenges and opportunities presented by changing demographics. www.empoweringNYcommunities.org
Consumer Protection Board Updates Playground Safety Guidelines
As children returned to schools in counties across the state, they are also back on school and park playgrounds for recess and after-school programs. The New York State Consumer Protection Board (CPB) has adopted applicable New York State rules consistent with the Public Playground Safety Guidelines offered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). In 2008, the CPSC updated these guidelines and in response, the CPB developed an online Public Playground Safety page to assist localities and school districts in keeping their public playgrounds compliant with these new important safety measures. Please visit the CPB’s playground safety resource page at www.nysconsumer.gov/playground_safety.htm for more information.
The County Point
New York State counties, all of which are currently putting their proposed 2009 budgets together, realize that the lack of state revenue stemming from the financial crisis necessitates reductions in state spending.
This crisis provides us with an opportunity for structural reforms to our state mandate system—a system that has plagued New Yorkers with decades of property tax increases.
As State leaders deliberate the next round of funding reductions to close the state’s widening budget gap, counties ask that any reduction in state funding to counties must be accompanied by mandate reforms and include the flexibility that counties need to manage their own budgets and set local priorities.
Without that flexibility, counties must pay for a greater percentage of the state programs and services we must provide—state mandates—but we do not have the discretionary funds to cover more cost shifts from the state.
Counties will have no choice but to pass added costs to taxpayers.
Now is the time for reform. All levels of government need to consider our core programs and services and reduce or eliminate functions that could be handled more effectively elsewhere.
