Assemblyman Karl Brabenec (R,TCN-Deerpark) today decried Gov. Cuomo’s proposal to further shift blame and responsibility to localities and municipalities by holding local funding hostage in this year’s Executive Budget proposal. The proposal would essentially force local governments to devise plans to consolidate and create shared services at the local level and put the proposals on the ballot for taxpayers to approve this November. The state currently awards around $715 million in local government aid statewide.

“This is one of the most offensive and myopic executive proposals I have ever seen,” Brabenec said. “As was done with the property-tax cap several years ago, the governor is forcing local officials to absorb the harsh criticism and blowback that would inevitably occur from consolidating services instead of cutting costs at the state level, where it would be much easier to find cost savings.”

Brabenec, who served as Town Supervisor and Town Councilman of Deerpark as well as on the Zoning Board of Appeals, criticized the governor’s outrageous $53 million proposal to build a trail system across the state as one example of the reckless spending that comes from the executive branch. He also commented on the fact that Medicaid spending is the driving force behind property-tax increases and that New York is one of the only states in the union to force this cost on municipalities.

“The governor thinks he has done all he can to reduce property taxes, but how about cutting some of the state’s $60 billion Medicaid bill that makes up over one-third of our entire state budget,” Brabenec said. “Bloated and irresponsible spending, such as the $53 million trail project, is unnecessary and thoughtless. Who is going to pay for maintenance of this trail, will eminent domain be used to build it, how will the state pay for the electricity and lighting at night, and why is it even necessary when we could put that money into tax reduction and job creation?”