News stories tagged with "counties"

(02/02/12) Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the "Battle of Albany'' is on.

And in the first skirmish of what's expected to be a long fight, Cuomo is putting the pressure on teachers and their unions.

Speaking yesterday, he said that if negotiations between the unions, the state Education Department and school districts on tougher evaluations for teachers and principals fail, he'll impose his own Feb. 16. Under law, a governor may try to enact policies in budget bills.

The governor spoke at the annual meeting of the state Association of Counties, trying to drum up support for his proposed budget.

The county leaders were pressing for relief from state-mandated costs. Cuomo said he would meet them half way in providing mandate relief by helping to defray health care and future pension costs.

But, as Karen DeWitt reports, he told the county officials it's up to them to do the rest. more

(01/24/12) County leaders around the North Country have been asking the state for mandate relief, especially since New York imposed a 2% property tax cap on local governments last year. Their biggest beef is paying for Medicaid. It accounts for the largest percentage of many county budgets, and many county leaders don't think those costs should be their responsibility.

The governor's budget proposal offers some assistance with local Medicaid costs. The administration has been fanning out around the state, trying to sell the plan he released last week. And Cuomo has gotten some support from north country state legislators. But county leaders aren't as pleased. more

(10/07/11) On Thursday, Governor Andrew Cuomo rebuffed a push by counties and some state lawmakers to have the state choose the local cost of Medicaid. The health insurance program for the poor costs New York about $53-billion dollars a year. Counties pay roughly 15-percent of that. Cuomo says each level of government needs to pay its share. more

(10/05/11) Until this week, St. Lawrence County seemed to be leading the charge to over-ride the state's new 2-percent property tax cap, imposed on local governments. Now it looks like the County is trying to stay within the tax cap limit.

Counties around the North Country are busily preparing their 2012 budgets. And each is having to do its own political maneuvering, and decide whether it will cut services, or over-ride the tax cap.

Julie Grant reports. more

(01/10/11) Gov. Andrew Cuomo is wasting no time. From a wage freeze for public employees, to mandate relief and a property tax cap, he's moved on many of key campaign themes in just his first week in office.

He's also got a new/old legislature to work with. A Republican majority in the state Senate, but a familiar and powerful face at the head of the Assembly: Speaker Sheldon Silver. Susan Arbetter, host of WCNY's capitol Pressroom, is one of the Albany-based journalists who's watching all this closely. Martha Foley talked with her about the changing dynamic.

(11/09/10) Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo says New York won't be buying its way out of a projected $9 billion dollar deficit next year.

In his first speech since election night, Cuomo told a gathering of New York lawmakers in Puerto Rico they'll have to "get smart" and find other ways to plug the gap.

He campaigned on promises of no personal or corporate tax increases, and he says he's sticking to that promise. Cuomo also wants to cap property taxes. But those taxes are what counties and local governments rely on to fund their budgets, and pay for state-mandated services. Many experts say the tax cap would just be the first step in a long and painful process that would require deep cuts in government spending. more

(02/02/09) The New York Association of Counties is calling on Governor Paterson to drop plans to cap property tax payments on state land in the Adirondacks. Martha Foley has more.

(05/04/06) Counties, and groups that work with the poor, say they are happy Governor Pataki released funding for a number of programs that help people on welfare transition to steady employment. But they wonder when and if the governor will restore funding the legislature wanted for other support services for the needy. Karen DeWitt reports.

(04/18/05) This year's budget battle resulted in the first on-time spending plan in 20 years. It also produced modest Medicaid reform, including a cap on the rate of cost increases and a new preferred prescription drug list. But the fight over Medicaid exposed a deep rift within the New York State Association of Counties.
NYSAC suspended its president, Clifford Donaldson, for siding publicly with the unions and with the hospital association.
The organization's board wanted deeper Medicaid cuts than the unions were willing to accept. Donaldson is manager for Essex County and lives in Saranac Lake. He plans to meet with the NYSAC board's fifteen members about the dispute tomorrow. His regular term as president of the organization expires in September. He spoke with Brian Mann.

(02/03/05) The New York Association of Counties, at its annual meeting in Albany, promised to get tough with state lawmakers who don't follow through on Medicaid reforms that they say are strangling county budgets. Karen DeWitt reports.