February 29, 2008
Counties Statewide Take Action to Help Stop State Budget Cost Shifts
With the state budget process taking shape in Albany, counties across the state this week pressed forward with efforts to turn back two cost shifts that would drive up county property taxes.
On Monday, NYSAC sent State Legislators letters detailing county-by-county impact of two major cost shifts-the elimination of state reimbursement for youth detention and the increased county share for Welfare-that will have an immediate and direct result on counties and local property taxpayers.
Today, the Assembly and Senate are expected to reach agreement on a state revenue estimate for the coming state fiscal year. Meanwhile, county officials have been arranging news events and interviews and calling on their State Senators and Assemblymembers, urging them to reject the Governor's proposed cost shifts, which include:
Changing the longstanding funding formula for welfare
Since the great depression, the state and counties have equally split the cost of Welfare, or public assistance, 50/50. The 2008-09 Executive State Budget begins to change that funding formula in a way that shifts more Welfare costs to county taxpayers. The state increases the county share to 52 percent, and counties fear once the formula is changed, the state will shift more of its program cost to counties each year.
Eliminating the entire state share of youth detention costs
Counties and the State have historically shared (50/50) the cost of providing secure and non-secure detention placements for our troubled youth. The Executive Budget shifts the entire burden of this program on the backs of county property taxpayers.
Since as much as 80 percent of a county's budget goes directly to fund mandated programs such as Medicaid, Welfare, early childhood services, employee costs and other critical public health, social service and public safety programs, there is virtual no discretionary funding to absorb these cost shifts.
For more details and funding charts on the impact the proposed state budget will have on your county, visit www.nysac.org/Legislative_Action_Center/State_Budget_Impact.php.
Important dates with regard to the State Budget process include:
- February 26--Senate/Assembly Fiscal Committee Economic and Revenue Reports Released
- · February 27--Joint Public Revenue Meeting February 29--Revenue Consensus Announcement
- March 12--Senate and Assembly One-house Budget Bills Taken Up
- March 13--Joint Senate/Assembly Budget Conference Committees Commence
- March 19-26--Conference Committee Reports Issued
- March 26-27--Final Report of Joint Conference Committee
- March 28 and 31--Senate and Assembly Take Up Joint Legislative Budget Bills
We urge you to continue contacting your state representatives to stress the impact that these cost shifts would have on county property taxpayers. (Ken Crannell)
NYSAC Opposes Retiree Health Insurance Mandate Bill
This week NYSAC formally opposed a bill (S6649 Farley / A9894 Abbate) prohibiting municipal employers from diminishing the health Insurance benefits or contributions made by the employer for retiree health insurance. The bill will prohibit retiree health insurance reductions or contributions made by the employer unless similar reductions are enacted for existing employees.
Although almost all counties have demonstrated their commitment to their retirees by providing them with at least some form of health insurance coverage, NYSAC opposes the bill because of the all-encompassing nature of the wording of the proposed legislation. The proposed legislation would make it virtually impossible for counties and all local governments to explore cost saving alternatives for retiree health insurance even if the basic health benefit coverage afforded to the retirees remains the same.
The bill's prohibition of the reduction of employer contributions would not allow counties to package existing coverage with federal Medicare benefits to reduce costs, explore cost saving efficiencies such as the formation of Municipal Health Insurance Cooperatives as recommended by the Governor's Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, or to take other innovative actions to maintain retiree health coverage while lowering the costs to the taxpayer.
At the just completed NYSAC Legislative Conference, the NYSAC membership unanimously adopted a resolution calling upon the legislature and the Governor to refrain from enacting any new personnel mandates as a first step in achieving the reduction in the local property tax burden promised by both the Governor and the Legislature.
NYSAC urges counties to contact their legislative representatives and encourage them to oppose this measure. (Jeff Osinski)
NYSAC Gives Testimony on New County Purchasing to Save Taxpayer Money
Governor Eliot Spitzer's proposed changes to local government purchasing practices would help bring government procurement into the 21st Century, according to county testimony presented today to a State Assembly hearing aimed at examining state and local procurement practices.
A proposal submitted by Governor Spitzer in the 2008-09 Executive State Budget would allow counties to purchase government supplies off of contracts led by other state and local governments. The proposal also allows contracts to be awarded on "best value" instead of lowest cost and allowing purchasing of information technology products and services through cooperative purchasing.
New York is currently the only state that does not allow municipalities to piggyback on other governmental contracts for the procurement of goods and services.
"We see an important opportunity to improve local government efficiency and as well as address the issue of rising property taxes," said NYSAC Executive Director, Stephen Acquario. "There is the potential to save tax dollars this year by providing counties with this procurement tool." (Ken Crannell)
State Approves First Round of [Temporary] Voting Machines
This week, the Commissioners of the New York State Board of Elections (SBOE) voted on the interim certification of ballot marking devices (BMDs) for use in the 2008 primary and general election. The BMDs that met certification are the ES&S AutoMARK, the Premier AutoMARK and the Sequoia/ Dominion ImageCast Precinct Ballot Marker. A number of voting systems were not approved because they did not meet usability and accessibility standards.
The SBOE relied on functional testing carried out by an independent testing authority, and real world usability testing carried out by the Citizens' Election Modernization Advisory Committee (CEMAC). CEMAC was created pursuant to New York State Law, to assist the SBOE in ensuring the independence and privacy of the vote during use.
The CEMAC report, which highlights the pro's and con's of the Ballot Marking Devices submitted for use in NYS, can be accessed at
www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/hava/voting_machines/testing/CEMACAdvisory022608.pdf.
NYSAC continues to express serious concerns over the local costs associated with this unfunded state mandate. (Adriano Bongiorno)
Governor's Renewable Energy Task Force Releases Initial Recommendations
At a meeting this week Lt. Governor David Paterson, chair of the Governor's taskforce on renewable energy, made a series of recommendations that, if adopted, will help meet the administrations goal of covering 25 percent of the State energy demand with renewable sources by 2013. Recommendations include a large-scale increase in solar-energy development, offering incentives to attract green-energy businesses to the state and suggesting statutory changes to encourage companies to produce on-site renewable energy. The recommendations also include development and support of a "green-collar" workforce to foster and maintain renewable energy sources.
The task force suggests that incentives to attract renewable energy companies should be aimed at building "clusters" of solar, wind, biomass and other green-energy industries around the state. Changes in the law to encourage on-site installation of renewable energy sources at companies would include extending the net-metering law to corporations. The current net metering law allows only residential homes to sell unused energy back to the power grid.
The report can be viewed at www.state.ny.us/governor/press/lt_RETF_Report.pdf. The final report from the task force will be issued in December. (Pete Savage)
NYSAC News Call for Spring Articles
NYSAC is planning our Spring 2008 issue of the NYSAC News magazine, and we are seeking articles for submission. The focus of this issue will be the County Workforce, and will include stories on the many good things our county public servants do to make New York a better place to live and work.
If you have a story about your county workforce, please consider sending it along. We are hoping for active county participation for this issue. Submissions should be between 750 to 1,000 words and include a 300 dpi photograph of the author or an appropriate photograph to accompany the text. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2008. Submissions should be sent to mlavigne@nysac.org. We will only be able to include articles that are received by this date. (Mark LaVigne)
Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners to convene in March
The New York State Association of County Coroners and Medical Examiners is holding its Spring Educational Conference in March at the Turning Stone Casino. The Conference is entitled, "Legal Issues for Medical Examiners and Coroners," with an educational focus targeted to Coroners, Medical Examiners, County Attorneys and Funeral Directors. For more information, visit their website at www.nysaccme.org.
Save the Dates
County Finance School - April 30 through May 2, 2008 in Syracuse, Onondaga County.
NYSAC Fall Seminar - September 24-26, 2008 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County
Coming Next Week
- The New York State Legislature is scheduled to be in session from Monday through Thursday.
- Monday -- The NYS School Boards Association meets in Albany on Monday for a lobbying day, Albany Marriott, 189 Wolf Road, Albany.
