Unfunded mandates have been dictating the policy and spending of upstate schools and local governments for decades with disastrous results. When Albany politicians decide they know better than our local officials and administrators, it leads to higher local budgets and, in turn, higher property taxes. Albany’s unfunded mandates threaten the affordability and solvency of our communities and the local governments that serve us.
The rising concern over the cost of property taxes prompted the passage of a two percent property tax cap during the 2011 Legislative Session. Many legislators, however, were led to believe that mandate relief would soon follow. We were sorely disappointed.
The establishment of Cuomo’s Mandate Relief Redesign Team (MRRT), a flagrant and hollow political gesture, has had little impact on state policy. The Team diligently identified and reported hundreds of mandates that could be removed or reformed to streamline government and reduce spending, but these ideas fell on deaf ears. The discussions about finding real solutions to local government’s struggle with expensive mandates were soon forgotten – it was little more than lip service from some politicians.
This is the kind of foolhardiness that causes upstate taxpayers to suffer and prevents local governments from enacting responsible spending policies that better match stagnant, if not declining, revenue streams. Unfunded mandates have hindered upstate New York’s growth and stifled its business climate.
To me, it’s quite clear – if nine unfunded mandates consume 90 percent of a county’s million-dollar-plus budget, which includes the wasteful and ancillary Medicaid costs, something is wrong. Albany isn’t exactly known for being in sync with the needs of its communities and taxpayers statewide, so why should the state dictate how our local money is spent?
The early leaders of New York State understood the value of placing authority and power in a local government system. Our state boasts some of the best county governments in the nation, but Albany’s unwillingness to do what is right is jeopardizing them. As more money goes toward unfunded mandates, and as revenue declines, something will have to give. Sadly, it’s usually the services that we rely on the most to keep our communities safe and healthy.
For years, I have been calling for a complete tax relief plan for New Yorkers that included a tax cap as well as meaningful and effective mandate relief. I am tired of the excuses and missed opportunities, and it comes to this – I am calling on the Governor and Legislature to keep a promise they made to the public – free upstate New York from unfunded mandates.
If you stand with me on this matter, please sign my petition for unfunded mandate relief and reform at tinyurl.com/butlerphase2. Email your ideas to butlerm@assembly.state.ny.us or feel free to call me at either my Herkimer office at (315) 866-1632 or at my Johnstown office at (518) 762-6486.