Breaking: Tug Hill Commission restored
A joint budget conference committee has restored money for the Tug Hill Commission in the state budget. According to State Senator Patty Ritchie’s office, the Assembly agreed to the Senate’s funding level of $1.1 million. That’s a 10% cut from last year, on par with other state agencies.
Ritchie spokesman Jim Reagan says it was unfair that the Tug Hill Commission was singled out for elimination in Governor Cuomo’s budget.
The Governor had said he was proposing a 10 percent cut to most state agencies, but for these communities, they got the entire agency cut. Senator Ritchie wanted to make sure they were treated fairly.
The Tug Hill Commission assists the isolated towns and villages of the Tug Hill Plateau with grant writing, development, and planning. Learn more about the Commission in this story.
The Commission will now join the other 200 state bodies that will have to justify their existence before a consolidation panel. Cuomo created the Spending and Government Efficiency Commission, or SAGE, to cut the number of agencies, commissions and authorities by 20%.
All right, I know absolutely nothing about the Tug Hill Commission, but when I see “The Tug Hill Commission assists the isolated towns and villages of the Tug Hill Plateau with grant writing, development, and planning. ” and then I see $1.1 million dollars… my jaw just drops! I realize I’m a little out of touch with modern costs, but $1.1 MILLION DOLLARS to “assist” with grant writing, development and planning? Unless $900K of that money is being given out to the towns in the area it reeks of a bureaucratic pork farm.
I’m a bit familiar with the Tug Hill Commission from my days working for Lewis County government. They do provide many important services to counties, villages, towns, not for profits, etc. that those entities otherwise couldn’t afford themselves. However, like many other state and quasi state entities, they are an expensive service and certainly are a bit top heavy with staff and salary. That was my impression at the time however (early to late 1990’s).
I suppose the good thing here is that they’ll also have to prove themselves worthy of continued funding as they go through the consolidation panel review.