Legislative priorities discussed at NYCOM conference

ILION — The legislative priorities set by the New York State Conference of Mayors were discussed during a recent meeting of the Ilion village board.

Trustee Bridget McKinley reported she and Mayor Terry Leonard had attended a recent NYCOM conference and one of the concerns for municipalities is the shifting of the tax burden from the state to local communities.

“The state looks good because the burden is being shifted to the villages and other municipalities,” she said.

The tax cap is also a concern.

“The tax cap is here to stay,” said McKinley. “We have always tried to run a tight ship. Nobody likes to raise taxes unnecessarily.”

Currently, the cap on the tax levy is determined by a formula based on the cost of living increase. That means this year the village is faced with the challenge of crafting a budget with a tax levy increase of no more than 0.32 percent. NYCOM is calling for the tax cap to be set at a straight 2 percent increase rather than tying the figure to inflation, the mayor said.

The need for more unrestricted state aid to local governments is one of NYCOM's major concerns, according to Leonard. Others include increasing state aid for infrastructure and prohibiting unfunded mandates.

Additional priorities are posted on the NYCOM website including the following:

• Create and enhance tools to address abandoned property and downtown redevelopment;

• Increase state funding for local highways;

• Authorize municipalities to charge for services provided to tax-exempt properties;

• Restructure and reform the gross receipts tax;

• Re-establish the funding source for building reconstruction and demolition; and

• Reform binding arbitration.