ALBANY, N.Y. -- Governor Cuomo's recent State of the State address outlined
a few very ambitious proposals for 2013, and with New York facing a $1 billion deficit,
all eyes will now once again be on Cuomo as he outlines how he intends to pay
for them Tuesday.
Among those who will be paying close attention,
Rensselaer county Executive Kathy Jimino, who hopes the governor will include
mandate relief.
"In Rensselaer County, 89 cents of every dollar that we raise locally
goes to pay for state and federal mandates," said Jimino.
This leaves Rensselaer County with only 11 cents out of every dollar. Jimino
explains that money goes toward what many residents would consider essential
services.
"We have to pay for senior services, we have to provide veterans
services. We have to put out a sheriffs road patrol. We have to maintain our
streets, our bridges, ours roads," said Jimino.
She calls it unsustainable and says it could ultimately
keep families and businesses out of the area.
"The long term game plan should be to reduce the
burden on our taxpayers, to reduce the property taxes so New York can be
competitive and New York can really be open for business," said Jimino.
Assemblyman John McDonald also expressed support for
mandate relief. As Mayor of Cohoes for 13 years, he too knows about the burdens
the state puts on local municipalities.
"There's really not much more we can do. Revenues
are still lagging behind, so therefore we need to have the tools to cut the
expenses," said McDonald.
Only his second week in office, McDonald says if the
governor doesn't move on mandate relief, he's doubtful the legislature will. He
cites how challenging labor negotiations can be in regards to pensions and
health care.
"I don't see a major temperature to deal with larger
issues in regards to labor," said. McDonald.
The governor also outlined an ambitious education plan in his state of the
state, proposing more time in the classroom and making pre-kindergarten more
widely available -- explaining that the state would foot the bill.
Barbara Bartoletti with the League of Women Voters says education advocates
will be paying close attention.
"School districts are having a really awful time across this state and
they are certainly going to be looking to see if he puts more money into
education," said Bartoletti.
As for Jimino, since the governor chose not to address mandate relief in his
state of the state, she told NEWS10 she's keeping her expectations low.
"Let's find a way to provide enough mandate relief to keep the costs
level and that would be a great place to start. Then we wouldn't have to look
at increasing taxes yet again or cutting local services," said Jimino.
Rensselaer County Executive Kathleen Jimino is concerned with how Cuomo's budget proposal will affect her county.
Assemblyman John McDonald also expressed support for mandate relief.
Barbara Bartoletti with the League of Women Voters says education advocates will be paying close attention.
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