Part of the Problem with NY School Taxes...

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Part of the problem with our school taxes in NY
byE.J. McMahon of the Empire Center for New York State Policy. ejm@empirecenter.org
Will Andrew Cuomo defy the special interests that have long controlled Al bany -- starting with the public-sector labor unions whose political arm endorsed him -- to deliver the kind of change he promised in his successful campaign for governor of New York?

The answer is simple: He has no choice. The Empire State's fiscal problems are simply too massive to permit further dithering, buck-passing and corner-cutting.

Stuck: With a $9 billion budget hole next year, Gov.-elect Cuomo can't dodge bitter battles. Throughout his campaign, Cuomo explicitly and repeatedly promised to hold the line on spending and broad-based taxes. The new numbers mean he can't keep that promise unless the first budget of his tenure cuts spending below current levels.

-- will be property taxes.
In an audacious move, Cuomo began his campaign last May by calling for a broad limit on property taxes in New York. Moving beyond the 4 percent maximum cap on school taxes proposed two years ago by Gov. Paterson, Cuomo proposed a maximum cap of 2 percent on the annual growth in property-tax levies by all government units -- schools, counties, cities, towns, villages and special districts.

This cap could only be overridden by a 60 percent "supermajority" of residents. It would allow for limited, extraordinary exceptions, like capital expenses previously approved by voters. But it would otherwise contain no loopholes.

But Cuomo can't credibly propose a tax cap in isolation. It must be coupled with changes in collective-bargaining provisions that now make it hard for local governments and school districts to control their labor costs.

The changes should start with repeal of the Triborough amendment, which guarantees seniority "step" increases in pay even after a labor contract has expired. Above all, they must include fundamental reform of public pensions, which are about to skyrocket to levels never before seen in New York.



During much of the 44 consecutive years they controlled the upper house before 2009, the Republicans institutionally allied themselves with public-sector labor unions, especially the New York State United Teachers. During previous fiscal crises, they joined Assembly Democrats to enact major tax and spending increases.

"In many ways, we lost our way in the past, and we got the message and we're going to correct the direction of the state," Sen. Dean Skelos, the GOP leader, told The Post's Fred Dicker yesterday.

Cuomo needs to remind Skelos of that quote, early and often. Skelos & Co., for their part, need to hold Cuomo's feet to the fire.



E.J. McMahon is a senior fellow with the Manhattan Institute's Empire Center for New York State Policy. ejm@empirecenter.org



Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/now_comes_the_real_fight_rgGLkJzbfV8PlLiZ3MpIbJ#ixzz14LM1MfIB

Wang Looking to Close Deal With Another Developer-Old Plainview Deja Vu?

Wang's Plainview property, considered for casino, selling to home builder
Originally published: October 27, 2010 12:09 PM
Updated: October 27, 2010 1:52 PM
By RANDI F. MARSHALL randi.marshall@newsday.com



New York Islanders owner Charles Wang is in contract to sell his 144 acres of Plainview property to home builder Michael Dubb, of The Beechwood Organization, Dubb confirmed Wednesday.
A week ago, Newsday reported that the Shinnecock Indian Nation was considering the Plainview land as a potential casino site. Dubb said he and Wang have been in talks for several months, adding that he was aware that the Shinnecocks were also on Wang's radar screen.
"To Charles' credit, he had options," Dubb said. "He possibly could have made a deal with the Shinnecocks but I think he wanted to do what he viewed as a more responsible use for the property."
Michael Picker, who oversees Wang's real estate holdings, was not immediately available for commenT.
Dubb said he hopes to build a "lifestyle community" similar to the Meadowbrook Pointe project he built in Westbury. While that project is only for people 50 and older, Dubb said he hopes the Plainview project would be for a mix of ages and housing types.
But while Dubb said he would prefer to build housing at the site, he would not rule out any other possibilities - including a casino.
"My first desire is to create a lifestyle community that will be an asset to the neighborhood - and an asset to Nassau County," Dubb said. "In the event we can't succeed at that, we would consider all other options."
But building at Plainview has been a challenge in the past. In 2003, Wang proposed an extensive mixed-use development there, to be called Old Plainview, but four years later he pulled the project amid community objections.
Dubb said he hopes to hold meetings with civic leaders and the community before even designing the project, in an effort to avoid the same fate.




"I'm really not making any plans or decisions until I have input from the community stakeholders," he added.




But Dubb said he did hope to keep the project simpler, without the many different uses, such as a hotel, shops and office space, that Wang had originally proposed.

Teacher Contracts; What's In Them?

Did you know that teachers who don't take the health plan from our school get paid over a $1000 a year?

What else does the SECRET CONTRACT negotions have inside them?

Possible Casino in Plainview?

Editor - Please start a new thread>

Everyone - we need to mobilize to ensure this does not become a viable option to the casino planners.

Shinnecocks eye Wang property in Plainview for casino
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/shinnecocks-eye-wang-property-in-plainview-for-casino-1.2382798

The Shinnecock Indian Nation is considering an extensive Plainview property owned by Charles Wang, the owner of the New York Islanders, as a potential casino site.

According to tribal trustee Lance Gumbs, the Shinnecocks recently looked at the 144 acres of mostly woodland between Old Country Road and Round Swamp Road.

The parcel is attractive as a casino site, Gumbs said, due to its proximity to the Long Island Expressway and because it's a far larger piece of property than some of the others the tribe is considering, including the land around the Nassau Coliseum owned by the county. The Coliseum is the home of the Islanders.

Use the link above for the remainder of the article.

Who Knows About Retirement Waivers?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ready For Your Next Tax Raise?":

Can a new thread be added for this posting?

Does anyone know anything about retirement waivers in New York State? Is our superintendent's license compliant with these guidelines?

Go to the NYS Department of Education website -
www.nysed.gov.
Click the icon for Parents.
Next, click Certification Verification.
Enter the superintendent's first and last name.

You'll find that his retirement waiver for the POBCSD issued on 7/1/07 expired on 6/30/08. It appears to have been reissued on 8/1/08 and then again expired on 12/31/08. The status indicated for both these waivers is "pending."

Is this something we should be concerned with? I know it is possible for online records to sometimes be outdated. I'm just curious if anyone knows more about this.