April 27, 2007
Counties Receive Medicaid Intercept Factor
This week the New York State Department of Taxation of Finance delivered to counties their “Medicaid Factor,” which determines the amount of sales tax revenue that the State would intercept each month in lieu of their Medicaid payment if a county chooses the Medicaid sales tax Intercept option. If a county chooses the “Intercept” option, then a portion of its sales and use tax revenues would be intercepted by the State each month to pay in full its Medicaid costs. If the county does not choose the sales tax option, then the county would continue to pay its Medicaid expenditures monthly, as it had been doing before, subject to the fixed annual increases.
A county that wishes to elect the sales tax Medicaid intercept option must adopt a specific resolution no later than September 30, 2007. If the sales tax option is elected, the first sales tax Medicaid intercept would occur in January, 2008, and continue monthly thereafter.
On May 2nd, as part of the Annual County Finance School, NYSAC will feature a workshop to review the statutory formulas that will determine a county’s sales tax intercept, discuss how a county’s sales tax distributions would be affected, and review the various pros and cons associated with this decision. Visit www.nysac.org for finance school information and registration. (Ken Crannell)
Commission Looks at Consolidating Local Taxing Jurisdictions
This week Governor Eliot Spitzer signed an Executive Order creating the Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness. The commission has been asked to identify barriers to more efficient local government through merger, consolidation and or regionalization of services, and partnerships that enable localities to provide services more efficiently. They will report their recommendations by April 2008.
On the day he signed the executive order the Governor sent a letter to local government officials saying that, “in some cases, local governments no longer adequately serve the needs of a shifting and mobile populace and the demands of the increasingly globalized economy.” The Governor asked county leaders to lead the identification of programs, services or organizations that are either in the process of being consolidated, merged or shared; or is a good candidate for a future initiative.
Several former county officials have been appointed to serve on the Commission, which includes the following members.
- Hon. Stan Lundine, Former Lt. Governor and current Board Member of the Chautauqua Institution
- Hon. Alfred Del Bello, former Lt. Governor and Westchester County Executive
- Hon. Gerald Benjamin, Ph.D., former Chair of the Ulster County Legislature, currently Dean at SUNY New Paltz
- Jonathan Drapkin, former Sullivan County Manager
- Kathryn Foster, Ph.D., Director of the University of Buffalo Regional Institute
- Hon. Sandra Frankel, Brighton Town Supervisor, Monroe County
- Hon. William Johnson, former Mayor of the City of Rochester
- Hon. Jamie Rogers, Mayor of the Village of Lake Placid, Essex County
- Hon. G. Thomas Tranter, Jr., former Chemung County Executive
- Hon. Howard Weitzman, Nassau County Comptroller
- Hon. Mark Pattison, Office of the State Comptroller, Local Government Division
- Hon. Elizabeth O’Connor Little, Chair of the Senate Local Government Committee, former Warren County Supervisor
- Hon. Craig Johnson, NYS Senator and former Nassau County Legislator
- Hon. Sam Hoyt, Chair of the Assembly Local Government Committee
- Dr. Walter Robb, Ph.D., Former Executive for General Electric
NYSAC to Co-Sponsor Regional Forum on Municipal Shared Services
NYSAC is co-hosting a May 31st day-long shared service seminar in Genesee County. The seminar is designed for exchanging success stories on innovative practices in shared services and municipal collaboration. The projects to be discussed include shared services in highway and bridge maintenance, public safety, public employee health coverage, county-wide code enforcement, water infrastructure and court administration.
The day-long seminar, sponsored in conjunction with Cornell University, the Dennis A. Pelletier County Government Institute and SUNY Fredonia, will be held at the Holiday Inn in Batavia, Genesee County.
A representative the New York State Department of State’s Shared Municipal Services Incentive Grant program will detail the state’s experience during the first 2 rounds of the shared services incentive grant awards process and will detail what they will be looking for in future rounds at the closing session of the seminar.
There will be a nominal registration fee of $30. For more details and registration information, visit Cornell University Community and Rural Development Institute at http://cardi.cce.cornell.edu/editorstree/view/123. (Jeff Osinski)
May the (Pre-K Task) Force be With You
The final state budget included the creation of a Temporary Task Force on Preschool Special Education. The seventeen member Task Force includes three representatives of counties to be appointed by the Governor, including at least two from candidates nominated by NYSAC. Details are being finalized and NYSAC has been coordinating with the State Education Department. All meetings of the Task Force are open to the public and will likely take place in Albany. The meetings could begin as early as mid-May, but there is no official start date yet. NYSAC will keep you updated on this issue as the information becomes available. (Jessica Morelli)
The (Retroactive) Bill Collector Comes Knocking
Last Friday, the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) sent counties an Administrative Directive (ADM) detailing the final 2001 Per Diem Chargeback Rates for care provided to youth placed in facilities operated by OCFS. According to the ADM, the final rates specified in the ADM have been approved by DOB and will be used by OCFS to bill for the difference between interim and final rates for youth placed in applicable OCFS facilities during the period of January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2001. Adjustment bills, called “ADJ bills” will be processed for Calendar Year 2001 using the rates provided in the ADM, and counties will be required to pay the bills in accordance with the established payment schedule (details in the ADM). Please contact NYSAC if you would like a copy of the ADM. (Jessica Morelli)
Visit the NYSAC Web site for county-specific information and publications
NYSAC’s recently redesigned Website provides an array of resources designed to support the work and efforts of elected and appointed county officials in New York State.
Visit www.nysac.org for county histories, publications, research, our legislative program, conference details, daily news articles, county histories, county job opportunities, as well as other information geared to today’s county official. (Mark LaVigne)
Next Week
- The Senate and Assembly are scheduled to be in Albany in Legislative Session from Monday through Wednesday.
- County Finance School will be held from Wednesday through Friday in Syracuse.