Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C-Black River) today held a press conference with his assembly colleagues to push for mandate relief. Blankenbush is sponsoring a mandate relief bill designed to help combat rising costs faced by local governments and school districts leading to increased property taxes on home and business owners.

“Unfunded mandates are just another symptom of Albany’s inability to control its spending addiction, but this time they pass on the costs of their pet projects and programs to local schools and governments and, in turn, to already struggling homeowners,” said Blankenbush. “I’ve been fighting for a property tax cap, but have been troubled by Albany’s sudden silence on mandate reform and relief. I am proud to sponsor this legislation to get at the root of rising property taxes on behalf of home, business and farm owners in the North Country.”

Blankenbush, the former chairman of the Jefferson County Board of Legislators, noted that Albany’s unfunded mandates were among the most contentious and costly contributors to county spending and, therefore, rising property taxes. New York property taxes are about 80 percent higher than the national median, and within the last decade, the rates have grown by twice the rate of inflation.

The New York State Association of Counties has specifically identified nine mandates that controlled 90 percent of local spending and were largely responsible for rising tax levies. Blankenbush recalled that a majority of the county’s spending already was dictated by these mandates and that there were hundreds more that could be removed to lower costs.

The mandate relief legislation sponsored by Blankenbush attacks the problem by placing a spending cap, tied to a three-year average of the rate of inflation. This will help to rein in the rising cost of mandates, which in recent years has grown at such a rapid pace, especially Medicaid and pensions, that local governments were struggling to make ends meet. The assemblyman further proposes an immediate moratorium on mandates that cost $10,000 locally or $1 million statewide with a sunset clause on these costly items.

“I know my district is ready for property tax and mandate relief, now we have the legislation to move forward,” added Blankenbush. “There is no time for excuses; it’s time Albany passes these fiscally-responsible measures on behalf of property owners everywhere.”