Chairman McMahon recently held a press conference to announce that he is forming a legislature sub-committee charged with reviewing the Consensus Commission’s recommendations. McMahon and fellow legislators oppose the Governor’s proposal to mandate local consolidations. McMahon stated, “We appreciate and applaud the Governor for a renewed focus on Property Taxes, however, we cannot and will not support a top down approach to this issue”.
The Governor has proposed legislation that will strip the Onondaga County Legislature from the policy-making process, a responsibility it has held since the formation of the Onondaga County Charter. This Legislature will oppose any proposal that threatens AIM funding to any municipality in our County.
Towns and villages have been working diligently to share services for years without an Albany mandate or the threat of losing necessary funding. The County has led on this topic as well, most recently authorizing the merger of the Metropolitan Water Board and the Onondaga County Water Authority. McMahon added, “With smart budgeting, making tough choices, a cap on Medicaid growth, as well as consolidations and shared services, the County Legislature and the County Executive have been able to cut property taxes by millions of dollars, establishing a tax rate that is at an all-time low. For us to continue this trend, we need to put the focus on where it needs to be – Unfunded State Mandates. The County has led and our commitment to the State is we will continue to lead and continue to do more, but the State of New York needs to either pay for these mandates directly or allow the County to design its own menu of services for these mandates”.
“I want to thank the Commission and their members for the countless hours they have dedicated to move this debate forward. This report is the beginning of the discussion that policy makers owe to their constituents to have with one another. The County Legislature is this community’s metropolitan government – we represent urban, rural and suburban neighborhoods. We are best positioned to lead in this community discussion and are the only local legislative body that has the legal authority to do so”. The Legislature’s Consensus Sub-Committee will be chaired by Legislator Kevin Holmquist, a former Village Trustee and Town Councilor. They will work with the Consensus Co-Chairs to understand how their recommendations could possibly be implemented. This sub-committee will make recommendations to the legislature on specific proposals we can work towards implementing.
“As Chairman of the Legislature, I believe it is not practical to vote on something for referendum until there is wide-spread agreement on what a new government would look like, its authority and its Charter. Recommendation number 50 does not address these issues and therefore will not receive a vote from the County Legislature in 2017”.