I’ve been saying this for years, but it bears repeating – property tax relief and mandate relief go hand-in-hand. Lasting property tax relief can only be sustainable if it is combined with unfunded mandate relief.

The numbers are in; the property tax cap has saved New York homeowners and small businesses nearly $8 billion. That is great news, and many of us want to make the cap permanent.

The cap is great, but the Legislature cannot forget how important it is to provide mandate relief that will help our local governments and schools keep property taxes low for good. That was always part of the deal. On day one, when the governor discussed property taxes, mandate relief was supposed to be a part of the equation. But what did we get? We got a lot of empty promises from the governor and unwillingness from the Legislature to attack the problem head- on.

Unfunded mandates are the policies and programs that state government requires municipalities to not only operate but also fully fund. It’s a decades-old practice of passing the buck and it’s been holding our communities back.

The New York State Association of Counties identified just nine mandates that consume nearly 90 percent of the local tax levy. When so much of the local budget is dictated by the state, what is left to invest in the services and programs local communities actually need and want?

As the final days of session are wrapping up, I heavily encourage my legislative colleagues to push for a permanent property tax cap and meaningful mandate relief to provide balance and lasting property tax relief for homeowners.