June, 2011 Dear Governor Cuomo, Speaker Silver, and Majority Leader Skelos: Our constituents, like the

majority of New Yorkers, are weary of everincreasing property taxes. The proposed solution in the form of a 2% local property tax cap, however, is not the answer. It provides no actual property tax relief for New Yorkers, but will produce cuts in services including public education, police and fire departments, road and parks maintenance to name a few. We, as local elected officials who know first hand the needs of our constituents and communities, ask you to modify this proposal. This tax cap proposal is particularly onerous in its failure to provide exemptions due to the main drivers of higher property taxes that local government cant control. Local government, for example, cant slow the ever-increasing cost of health care or employee pensions. Neither can it change the demand for local public services, such as quality K12 education, public safety, and well-maintained roads and other infrastructure. These built-in, additional yearly costs will not disappear with a property tax cap and, as a result, necessary and vital services will be eliminated. Lower income communities will be more affected by the tax cap than wealthier ones. Poorer communities have significantly smaller tax levies currently creating tremendous disparities in our schools and communities. The 2% cap, imposed on local voters by Albany, would lock in and exacerbate these inequities. For the wealthier communities, the 2% cap will generate significantly larger revenues than for the poorer communities because they start with much higher tax levies as a baseline. Every year this disparity will continue to grow, the tax cap will increasingly exacerbate the disparities between New Yorks communities based on income and wealth. The 60% override provision is undemocratic and will also increase inequities. Currently school and local budgets, like other elections and votes, are governed by the concept of one person, one vote where a majority of the voters, or elected officials, have the power to make decisions. Under this provision, 41% of the voters would have more power than 59% of the voters in making local decisions on local school budgets. In towns, cities, villages and counties, the same undemocratic principle would apply to local elected officials. The override provision is in fact a shift of control over local decision-making to Albany. Instead of allowing a majority of local voters or elected officials to decide the fate of their schools and communities, Albany would impose the cap thus overriding the will of 59% of voters or local electeds. Furthermore, evidence from Massachusetts and from local school budget votes in New York indicate that achieving the 60% override will be more difficult in poorer communities, thus further exacerbating the growth in inequities caused by the cap.

There are other answers that would both alleviate high property taxes and address the needs of those who cant afford them. Real and meaningful reform to our local property tax system cannot be achieved without maintaining the higher tax rates on wealthy New Yorkers that are now set to expire at the end of December. If millionaires are to receive tax cuts and local resources are to be significantly restricted by Albany, then the only outcome will be cuts in vital services in communities all over New York State. These cuts undermine the vision of restoring New York to its great progressive traditions that so many of us share. There is no argument that property tax relief is needed throughout NYS, the best way to do it is to institute a circuit breaker. However, we ask that our state leaders develop solutions that are equitable and have the least impact possible on the majority of residents and their quality of life. The 2% tax cap proposal currently being considered is neither equitable nor does it preserve peoples quality of life and should not be approved. Sincerely, Don Barber, Supervisor, Town of Caroline T.J. Briggs, Ulster County Legislator Dominick Calsolaro, 1st Ward, Albany City Council Edward Collins, Binghamton City Council, district 7 Catherine M. Fahey, 7th Ward, Albany City Council Marty Gerchman, Binghamton City Council, district 2, Paul Hansut, Ulster County Legislature, Majority Leader Anton Konev, 11th Ward, Albany City Council Charles Kramer, President, Binghamton City Council, District 6, Peter Loughran, Ulster County Legislator James Maloney, Ulster County Legislator Roxanne Marino, Town of Ulysses Supervisor Sean Massey, Binghamton City Council, district 5, Jeannette Provenzano, Ulster County Legislature, Minority Leader Teri Rennia, Binghamton City Council, district 3, Martha Robertson, Tompkins County Legislature, Chair Hector Rodriguez, Ulster County Legislature, Minority Whip James Sano, 9th Ward, Albany City Council Brian Shapiro, Ulster County Legislator Mary Sheely, Ulster County Legislator Barbara Smith, 4th Ward, Albany City Council Cathy Terrizzi, Ulster County Legislator Joel Tyner, Dutchess County Legislator Lea Webb, Binghamton City Council, district 4, Robert Weslar, Majority Leader Binghamton City Council, district 1, Susan Zimet, Ulster County Legislator