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The Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG) joined in urging New York State to significantly cut the unfunded mandates that cause local property tax increases before it imposes a property tax cap.

The Council, which includes all of the County’s 17 municipalities, “urges New York State to take fiscal responsibility for services over which it has decision-making authority, rather than require local governments to pay for its decisions,” to reduce the property tax burden instead of preserving the status quo.

While maintaining that New York municipal leaders have long advocated decreasing the local property tax burden, the measure notes that “simply capping property taxes does nothing to reduce costs of the many State services that local municipalities must pay for an implement at the local level, preserving what it describes as “the unjust system of taxation, where local taxes pay for state programs.”  It points to “a fundamental difference” between the state and local governments paying for a service, since New York State is the entity that collects income tax, where a person pays state taxes according to the ability to pay, and local property tax is not charged on the ability to pay.

Although TCCOG does not include school districts among its members, the action notes that the Council “stands with school districts in opposing the property tax cap without mandate relief.”  It urges the Governor and State Legislature “not to impose a local property tax cap unless and until it is coupled with significant cuts in local costs for State mandated programs that cause local property tax increases.”  The measure describes the property tax cap as itself another unfunded state mandate and calls for the development of aid formulas and home rule authorities that “recognize the burden borne by local governments.”

Tompkins County and the City of Ithaca are among the members of TCCOG that have already passed resolutions urging state mandate relief before imposing a property tax cap.  Calling the property tax cap “the ultimate mandate,” Caroline Town Supervisor Don Barber, TCCOG co-chair, expressed hope that member municipalities that have not yet taken an official stand on the issue will take the Council resolution back to their municipalities for review and possible action.

Among other actions, the Council of Governments chose its leadership for the coming year, electing Barber and Ithaca Town Supervisor Herb Engman as co-chairs and Newfield Town Supervisor Richard Driscoll as vice-chair for 2011.

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