There are many issues that must be addressed in order to provide meaningful property tax relief to New Yorkers—the biggest being New York’s expensive state unfunded mandates.
Unfunded mandates are the programs and policies that Albany implements but won’t pay for and passes on to our municipalities and schools.
The New York State Association of Counties says that just nine mandates consume 90 percent of the local tax levy.
There are hundreds of other mandates as well, which continue to chip away at local budgets and resources, essentially tying the hands of our local governments.
A few years ago, we passed a two-percent property tax cap to provide some relief to taxpayers.
However, a property tax cap alone can’t provide the relief homeowners and job creators need.
Providing mandate relief to municipalities was never fully realized.
The governor is seemingly content with only addressing a small portion by having the state take on Medicaid growth cost, which is helpful, but is not nearly enough.
As I mentioned, there are hundreds of mandates to contend with.
Upstate New Yorkers know how devastating property taxes can be to a community.
As a percentage of home or property value, upstate New Yorkers pay the highest property taxes in the nation.
That’s money families or job creators could be pumping back into the economy, but instead it is paying for unfunded mandates.
Local governments are also hindered by the effects of unfunded mandates.
If communities had more flexibility in spending public dollars, they could address economic development, community renewal and maybe return some of it to the people by lowering property taxes for good.
The governor agrees that property taxes must be addressed and that homeowners need relief, but his property tax freeze plan would only address surface issues, whereas unfunded mandate relief would provide property tax relief to the homeowners and job creators who need it most.
I’m interested to hear your input on property tax relief.
Please email your ideas to butlerm@assembly.state.ny.us, call my Herkimer Office at (315) 866-1632 or my Johnstown Office at (518) 762-6486.