Joining colleagues from the Assembly Minority Conference speaking out against the governor’s mandated housing plan, as contained in her Executive Budget, Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C-Schoharie) said the final state budget should ensure local zoning controls are maintained by rejecting her plan. Her plan would override local control and mandate local communities build multi-unit affordable housing dwellings whether or not the projects are supported by the community.

A press conference was held this week at the State Capitol, led by Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) and local officials from Long Island who discussed the environmental impact the governor’s plan would have on suburban communities there. Supporting them, Tague issued the following statement:

“Maintaining local control is essential in our state because of the vast and complex issues facing our local communities. In the rural areas I represent, people care greatly about our environment, and many homes rely on wells and independent septic systems. We simply don’t have the sewer lines and basic infrastructure they have in cities used to support the kinds of structures Gov. Hochul is talking about. At the same time, as our small, historic villages are seeing a revitalization, parking is a concern and, again, the decades-old infrastructure just can’t keep up with the rapid, permanent growth that the governor projects. It doesn’t make sense, and the people who already call these communities home should have a voice in these matters. It’s protected with local zoning laws, and it should be preserved. Let’s pass a budget that keeps local, not this plan from Hochul.”