By Paul J. Condra
After a regular meeting two weeks ago in the state's Capitol to set the legislative agenda, mayors disgruntled by the prospect that revenue-sharing would continue to wither as it has for the last decade agreed to take extreme action. In what will surely be one of the most tumultuous budget-setting sessions in New York's history, the New York State Conference of Mayors is setting out to make its voice heard; to yell it through the governor's windows, as a matter of fact.
We're going so they know we do not want to take any cuts, so [the governor] knows where we stand, said Malverne Mayor Anthony Panzarella, who has recently been appointed to the Legislative Committee of NYCOM.
Panzarella, mayor of a village of about 9,000 residents, said it is up to the small villages of the state to do what they can to ensure they aren't ignored by those higher up in the political chain.
You deal with so many people who, by and large, they're in it for the same thing, he said. We are simply at a different level of government and going about it in a different way.
Hence, the mayor is relying on the grassroots-feeling, but tried-and-true strategy of strength in numbers, pointing out this first-ever lobbying trip relies heavily on the strength of NYCOM and the Nassau County Village Officials Association.
When I'm speaking on behalf of [NCVOA], I'm speaking on behalf of 450,000 people. When I'm speaking on behalf of NYCOM, I'm speaking on behalf of 1 million people, Panzarella said.
Issue number one for the mayors is revenue-sharing the redistribution of state tax returns to the villages which has been on the decline since the 80s.
Because the decreased revenue sharing was mostly a result of an early 90s recession, mayors were hoping the tide would soon be stemmed, especially after the economic boom of the Clinton era.
We feel it should now go up, we were very disappointed, said Lynbrook Mayor Eugene Scarpato, president of the Nassau County Village Officials Association.
In the late 1980s, the portion of the state tax return redistributed to villages was much higher than what it has become. In Lynbrook, for example, Scarpato said the village received about $1.4 million in 1988. Now that has fallen to about $550,000.
What happens now is we're fighting to keep what we got, he said.
In addition, local mayors said they don't believe they will see any
of the large budget surplus state lawmakers announced last year. Though the size of that surplus was in question with reports ranging from $4 billion to $9 billion there is skepticism as to whether it will be available to villages in the coming fiscal year.
But what may appear to be an ordinary session of political jockeying will be especially poignant this year as New York deals with the unforeseen financial aftermath of the terrorist attacks on lower Manhattan.
Indeed, political officials said what will be different about this year's legislative session and state budget is that lawmakers will be able to use an atmosphere of financial instability to their advantage.
This year's going to be tricky, Scarpato said. [Lawmakers] have this built-in excuse.
The mayor was referring to the costs wrought by the Sept. 11 tragedy that are expected to punch huge holes in the coming year's budget, which Gov. Pataki will start putting together in December.
According to Edward Farrell, the executive director of NYCOM, the state budget shortfall is expected to be around $6 billion for the fiscal year beginning in April.
Another difficulty facing state and village planners is Washington's reluctance, or inability, to clearly define how the emergency aid money it has promised to New York City originally $40 billion will make its way to the city. According to published reports, federal administrators are leaning toward piecemeal aid distribution that could stretch over years. Farrell points out it's not even clear if that money will go to the state or to the city.
For Nassau residents, the prospect of higher property taxes on the village level comes at a time when the county is already facing a potential 15 percent property tax increase proposed by the new Democratic majority in the legislature.
It's totally unresolved at this point, Farrell said.
