Archive: Opinions

Editor, The Lansing Star:

At the May 15th meeting of the Lansing Town Board a comment was made by a member of the audience to the effect that the County Legislature raised taxes considerably above the tax cap.  This is not the case, but given the complexities of figuring the tax cap it is understandable why it may appear that we have done so.  The so-called 2% tax cap is not actually 2% because counties could not even pay for the costs that are mandated by the state if forced to stay within a 2% cap.

For example, pension costs alone, in round figures, rose close to 2 ½ % from 2011 to 2012, the first year of the cap.  How could we meet a 2% cap when paying for pensions alone would put us over the cap?  And, pensions are only one of the long list of state mandates over which counties have no control in their budget.

Because the state failed to take into consideration its own mandates when setting the 2% figure it had to immediately figure out some way to “fix” the situation.  The “fix”, in the case of pensions, was to allow counties to exempt from the tax cap any pension increases in excess of 2%.  We still have to absorb the first 2% increase, but in a complicated formula that takes accountants to figure out, the tax cap itself is raised to partially include mandates.  In the first year of the cap, 2012, the County’s tax cap was 2.92%.  Our levy increase was 3.99%, or 1.07% above the cap.  The expenses over which the Legislature had control rose less than 2%.  In the 2013 budget year our cap was 3.69% and the levy was 3.69%, exactly at the tax cap.

Overall, the Legislature averaged ½ % above the cap since its inception, a figure that includes both mandates and locally controlled costs.  In order to keep increases that low we reduced, consolidated and eliminated programs.  We cut our workforce by 8% and most County employees had their salaries frozen for two years in a row.

I know it’s tempting to blame the County when families are feeling the combined tax burden of local, school and county taxes.  While I understand the impulse, I think it’s important to have accurate information as taxes are discussed.  I sincerely hope that those who think the County is being extravagant with their tax dollars will attend the next Town Hall meeting that I sponsor to discuss the County budget.  My experience has been that those who are complaining the most have not attended the meetings where accurate information was presented.  I hope to see you there next time.

Pat Pryor
Tompkins County Legislator
Representing the Town of Lansing

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