LAKE PLACID - Property taxes are public enemy number one. That's according to the New York state Conference of Mayors new Web site, www.stopthetaxshift.org.
The association of mayors from nearly every village and city in the state, including Lake Placid Mayor Jamie Rogers, met on Monday in Albany to try to convince the state to reconsider cuts in state aid, arguing they would force municipalities to resort to increasing already high property taxes.
"Just about everyone can agree that property taxes are too high," Rogers said. He is one of 13 members of the NYCOM Executive Committee that represents 530 of the state's 556 villages and all 62 of its cities.
The initiative becomes particularly urgent in the wake of state Gov. David Patterson's town hall meeting in Syracuse on Tuesday, reaffirming his plan to cut $2 billion from this year's budget.
Instead of cutting aid to schools and other vital public services, NYCOM provides a list of alternatives. Topping that list is cutting mandates that require municipalities to meet certain statewide standards, and addressing the state "pension cost crisis."
"If you really want a long-term reduction in spending," Rogers said, "then cut the mandates. We hope the state starts to address the burden that mandates put on local governments."
Rogers said the Wicks Law, which was passed in 1912 requiring towns to hire multiple contractors for a single capital project costing over $500,000, has been especially costly and cumbersome to comply with. He said the new Lake Placid sewer department is one example. The village had to "break out" contracts for plumbing, heating and electrical work.
"We couldn't hire one contractor to build the whole plant," Rogers said. He said not only was it more costly to build, but nobody can be held accountable if something goes wrong. "We had a problem with aeration, and everybody blamed everybody else. Now we have to go to court."
Rogers said NYCOM members will reconvene to lobby in Albany in February.
NYCOM's Web site, www.stopthetaxshift.org, provides a list of state mandates, their status and how they impact local governments, as well as a means of contacting state leaders and voicing support of NYCOM's goals.
Contact George Earl at 891-2600 ext. 25 or gearl@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.
