The governor’s office says Senate majority leader Dean Skelos has recommended that state Sen. Betty Little sit on the new “Mandate Relief Redesign Team.”<\/p>\n
This is the organization designed to reduce unfunded state mandates imposed on local governments.<\/p>\n
Here’s the quote from Senator Little’s office:<\/p>\n
“Unfunded mandates push the financial burden down to the lowest rung of the ladder \u2013 the one occupied by the local property taxpayers,\u201d said Senator Betty Little. <\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re talking about years and years of mandates, many well-intentioned, but collectively extremely costly. \u00a0You can imagine that representing six counties, 88 towns, 2 cities and 53 school districts, I hear a lot about these mandates. <\/span><\/p>\n
I\u2019m hopeful that given the diverse and inclusive nature of this team assembled by Governor Cuomo, and the impetus of the fiscal crisis, we will achieve some real results.\u201d <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Here’s the full release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office:<\/p>\n
The Team, established by an Executive Order announced by Governor Cuomo at his State of the State of Address, is charged with reviewing existing unfunded and underfunded mandates imposed by the New York State government on school districts, local governments, and other local taxing districts. These mandates are typically legal requirements that a local district provide a program, project, or activity on behalf of the state.<\/p>\n
The Team includes representatives from private industry, education, labor, and government and will look for ways to reduce the costs of mandated programs, identify mandates that are ineffective and outdated, and determine how school districts and local governments can have greater ability to control expenses. The Team is chaired by Senior Advisor to the Governor Larry Schwartz.<\/div>\n“The enormous burden of unfunded and underfunded mandates is breaking the backs of taxpayers, counties and municipalities across the state,” Governor Cuomosaid . “These mandates are throwing budgets out of balance and sending local property taxes through the roof. This diverse team of leaders and public servants fulfills the commitment to bring stakeholders to one table in order to work together to deliver relief and results for New Yorkers.”<\/div>\nGovernor Cuomo today participated in the Team’s first meeting via conference call. The Team will submit a first set of recommendations to the Governor by March 1, 2011 for consideration in the Fiscal Year 2011-12 budget process. The Team will continue its review until the end of Fiscal Year 2011-12.<\/div>\nThe members of the team are as follows:<\/div>\n\u2022 Stephen Acquario, Executive Director, NYS Association of Counties<\/div>\n\u2022 Maggie Brooks, Monroe County Executive<\/div>\n\u2022 Peter Baynes, Executive Director of the New York Conference of Mayors<\/div>\n\u2022 Sam Teresi, Mayor of Jamestown<\/div>\n\u2022 Jeff Haber, New York State Association of Towns, Executive Director<\/div>\n\u2022 David Steiner, New York State Department of Education, Commissioner<\/div>\n\u2022 Valerie Grey, New York State Department of Education, Chief Operating Officer<\/div>\n\u2022 Robert Reidy, New York State Council of School Superintendents, Executive Director<\/div>\n\u2022 Kevin Casey, New York State School Administrators Association, Director<\/div>\n\u2022 Timothy Kremer, New York State School Boards Association, Executive Director<\/div>\n\u2022 Andy Pallotta, New York State United Teachers, Executive Vice-President<\/div>\n\u2022 Steve Allinger, New York State United Teachers, Director of Legislation<\/div>\n\u2022 Fran Turner, Civil Service Employees Association, Director of the Legislative and Political Action Department<\/div>\n\u2022 Kevin Law, Long Island Association, President<\/div>\n\u2022 Kenneth Adams, New York State Business Council, President<\/div>\n\u2022 William Mooney, Westchester County Association, President<\/div>\n\u2022 Micah Lasher, Office of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg<\/div>\n\u2022 Ed Malloy, Upstate Building Trades Association<\/div>\n\u2022 Carol Kellerman, Citizens Budget Commission, President<\/div>\n\u2022 Senator Betty Little. Senator Little was recommended by the Majority Leader of the Senate.<\/div>\n\u2022 Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins. Senator Stewart-Cousins was recommended by the Minority Leader of the Senate.<\/div>\n\u2022 Assemblyman Denny Farrell. Assemblyman Farrell was recommended by the Speaker of the Assembly.<\/div>\n\u2022 Assemblyman Mark Molinaro. Assemblyman Molinaro was recommended by the Minority Leader of the Assembly.<\/div>\nUnfunded and underfunded mandates drive up costs of schools, municipalities, and the property taxes that support them. Due in part to these mandates, New York now has some of the highest taxes in the nation. For example:<\/div>\n\u2022 New York has the highest local taxes in America as a percentage of personal income – 79 percent above the national average;<\/div>\n\u2022 New York has the second highest combined state and local taxes in the nation;<\/div>\n\u2022 Median property taxes paid by New Yorkers are 96 percent above the national median;<\/div>\n\u2022 Property tax levies in New York grew by 73 percent from 1998 to 2008 – more than twice the rate of inflation during that period;<\/div>\n\u2022 When measured in absolute dollars paid, Westchester, Nassau, and Rockland are respectively the first, second and fifth highest-taxed counties in the nation;<\/div>\n\u2022 When property taxes were measured as a percentage of home value in 2009, nine out of the top ten counties in the nation were all in Upstate New York.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The governor’s office says Senate majority leader Dean Skelos has recommended that state Sen. 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