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Local government
officials, state lawmakers and environmentalists say they’re pleased
that a plan to freeze state tax payments to towns and school
districts with large amounts of state-owned land has been dropped
from the state budget expected to be adopted this week.
The budget
legislation omits a provision proposed by the Paterson
administration that would have capped state property tax payments in
the Adirondacks, Catskills and other parts of the state.
The move was expected
to save the state $8 million next year but would have had a chilling
effect on any further buying of wilderness or open space, said Neil
Woodworth, executive director of the Adirondack Mountain Club.
Municipalities that count on those tax receipts would have lost
their incentive to sign off on new acquisitions within their
boundaries, he said.
“We would never be
able to buy another significant chunk of land in New York state,”
Woodworth said.
Brian Towers,
President of the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages, said
his group had worked hard with legislators and the environmental
groups to fight the proposal. “We’re very pleased the Legislature
has pulled this out of the budget process,” he said.
“I think what this
does, if we’re successful at keeping the tax cap out of it in future
budget years, is going to allow many of our communities to continue
to survive. Under another scenario, particularly those towns that
have a great deal of state property holdings in their community,
probably over the next ten year period of time would have literally
gone out of business. So those communities are at least going to be
able to sustain themselves.”
Towers is also the
Supervisor of the Town of Wells, where the state owns just over 90
percent of the land and pays 60 percent of the property taxes.
State Senator Betty
Little, a Republican, said she was pleased the tax cap was removed
by the Legislature’s Democratic leadership. But, she noted, they’re
also taking away STAR rebate checks. “For people in our
district that’s a way of helping to pay for your school taxes,” she
said. “Everyone who got a STAR rebate, and they’re geared for the
middle class, will have an increase in their property taxes this
year, in there school taxes.”
Little said the
budget was very disappointing and was crafted in secret. “It was
three men in a room and all three men were from New York City,” she
said. “There are so many things that are just hurting Upstate New
York because of the way the budget was done.”
Assemblywoman Teresa
Sayward said the budget spends too much at a time when New Yorkers
are struggling to keep their homes and their jobs. “This budget is
disgrace,” she said. “The budget from top to bottom is just
something we can’t sustain over time. They increased school
spending by $1.1 billion and decreased healthcare spending by $2.3
billion. The governor has a $1 billion slush fund he can use for
whatever he wants to use. There’s absolutely no rhyme or reason as
to how this budget went through and its really going to hurt the
people back home.”
Lawmakers will begin
voting today on the $131 billion budget.
-Chris Knight, 3-31-09 |