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It’s no secret that local governments and school districts have been strapped by unfunded mandates coming out of Albany. Now they’ll have a chance to publicly let Gov. Andrew Cuomo know what they think of his reform plan and offer some suggestions themselves.
They should do just that when the governor’s Mandate Relief Council comes to town in March — if not before. The council has been holding public hearings across the state; hearings are scheduled for the Southern Tier on March 9, and Western New York and the Finger Lakes on March 16. The time and place of the hearings will be released as the date draws nearer.
Last year, in an effort to provide property tax relief, Cuomo pushed for a 2 percent property tax cap, which was approved by the Legislature. That exacerbated the problem for local officials in putting together budgets, but they expected it to be tempered by mandate relief.
The Mandate Relief Council’s purpose is to identify and determine whether a mandate on a local government or school district is “unsound, unduly burdensome or costly.” To that end, the council is seeking public comment through a series of state hearings hosted by Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy that began last week.
You can get involved before the March hearings by visiting http://www.governor.ny.gov/
mandatereliefcouncil and following the instructions for submitting your comments on mandates and mandate relief.
“These public hearings will be held across the state giving citizens and local officials the chance to have direct input on our plan to reduce the cost of local government,” Cuomo said. “I have said repeatedly that government works best when the citizens get involved, and I urge all New Yorkers to participate in this important process.”
We do, too. Democracy works best when the people get involved in the process.
Get involved
— Go to: http://www.governor.ny.gov/mandatereliefcouncil
— At lower right, click on either Public: Comment on Mandates or Local Officials: Submit a Mandate. Follow the instructions.
— Send us a copy of your comments/suggestions. Send to: dwheeler@messengerpostmedia.com.
— The hearings are open to the public and can be viewed live at www.governor.ny.gov/mandatereliefcouncil.
It’s no secret that local governments and school districts have been strapped by unfunded mandates coming out of Albany. Now they’ll have a chance to publicly let Gov. Andrew Cuomo know what they think of his reform plan and offer some suggestions themselves.
They should do just that when the governor’s Mandate Relief Council comes to town in March — if not before. The council has been holding public hearings across the state; hearings are scheduled for the Southern Tier on March 9, and Western New York and the Finger Lakes on March 16. The time and place of the hearings will be released as the date draws nearer.
Last year, in an effort to provide property tax relief, Cuomo pushed for a 2 percent property tax cap, which was approved by the Legislature. That exacerbated the problem for local officials in putting together budgets, but they expected it to be tempered by mandate relief.
The Mandate Relief Council’s purpose is to identify and determine whether a mandate on a local government or school district is “unsound, unduly burdensome or costly.” To that end, the council is seeking public comment through a series of state hearings hosted by Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy that began last week.
You can get involved before the March hearings by visiting http://www.governor.ny.gov/
mandatereliefcouncil and following the instructions for submitting your comments on mandates and mandate relief.
“These public hearings will be held across the state giving citizens and local officials the chance to have direct input on our plan to reduce the cost of local government,” Cuomo said. “I have said repeatedly that government works best when the citizens get involved, and I urge all New Yorkers to participate in this important process.”
We do, too. Democracy works best when the people get involved in the process.
Get involved
— Go to: http://www.governor.ny.gov/mandatereliefcouncil
— At lower right, click on either Public: Comment on Mandates or Local Officials: Submit a Mandate. Follow the instructions.
— Send us a copy of your comments/suggestions. Send to: dwheeler@messengerpostmedia.com.
— The hearings are open to the public and can be viewed live at www.governor.ny.gov/mandatereliefcouncil.
