In an effort to rein in the state’s high property taxes, Cuomo wants municipalities to look at new ways to consolidate and share services.
In communities that hold to the 2 percent property tax cap for two years while finding these efficiencies, residents will receive rebate checks in the mail to offset any tax increases.
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brook says the governor's proposal disregards the years of consolidating and service sharing the county has already done. She cites the 9-1-1 Center, Public Safety Training Facility, the Crime Lab and the county-wide Public Health Department as examples.
"It's kind of being portrayed that local governments sit around and don't talk to each other and we don't think about the fact that taxes are too high. And I think that what we're all saying is our track record is strong. We have a strong foundation of shared services in Monroe County and we still have some things that we can do."
Brooks claims municipalities are not the cause of rising property taxes: unfunded mandates are.
Fred Ricci is the Mayor of the Village of East Rochester and Supervisor of the Town of East Rochester. He says in his 25 years in local government, he's seen state support diminish and the costs for services increase.
"East Rochester is now involved in self-funded workers comp health insurance and we won't get credit for those because we've been doing those for a while. We’ve been looking for new ways to consolidate; new ways to cooperate and we're exhausted."
Ricci says the Town of Pittsford and East Rochester are talking about consolidating cable TV facilities in an effort to save tax dollars.
Regardless of what happens with the governor's proposal, local officials say they will still work to find ways to consolidate and share services.