Municipalities to Get 3% Raise in NY State Aid

by Judy Silberstein

(April 3, 2008) Larchmont and Mamaroneck along with all the other New York communities will be getting a 2% raise in “aid to municipalities” from the state, according to Assemblyman George Latimer, who phoned budget numbers to the Gazette from Albany on Thursday evening, April 3. The general government section of the budget had just been approved and its figures released.

Mr. Latimer conceded that “the numbers are pretty small, but a 3% increase is better than a 2% cut.” Governor David A. Paterson, newly elevated on March 17 from lieutenant governor status following the sudden resignation of Governor Eliot Spitzer, had suggested an across the board 2% cut in all state spending categories. Last year, Governor Spitzer had proposed eliminating all aid to municipalities. Instead, the final budgets for both this and last year have rescinded the cuts and restored the annual 3% raises.

NY State Aid to Municipalities

Mr. Latimer was on a break between budget meetings at around 7:45 pm during a week of non-stop focus on the budget. The Legislature had missed the April 1st deadline for passing all parts of the budget, but was trying hard to wrap things up as quickly as possible.

Asked for his estimate for when the education budget would be voted on, Mr. Latimer said he was hoping it would be approved by Friday. He will be reporting to his constituents on how much local school district can expect in aid as soon as that portion of the budget gets approved and announced.

“One of the problems with the lack of transparency,” he said, “is that we vote on budgets absent a logical sequence. Whenever the arrangements are completed by leadership is when we see the document.” That said, he pointed to recent improvements in the “three men in a room” system in which budgets were negotiated during prior administrations. Now, at least, there are five men in the room, with leaders of the minority parties in each house being included in the deliberations along with the majority leaders and the governor.

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