Oppenheimer & Latimer Address Albany Budget Crisis

On the Table: Cuts, Tax Increases?

by Elaine Chapnick; photos by Karin Sherman

(November 20, 2008) Early on Monday, November 17, New York State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer and Assemblyman George Latimer addressed the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Summit laying out the tough budget issues they would confront the next day at an emergency legislative session. By Tuesday, the Albany session had ended with no action taken on Governor David L. Paterson's proposal for cutting $2 billion from this year's budget to close a widening gap. But the issues identified by the senator and assemblyman will undoubtedly reappear when the legislature next convenes, either in January or sooner.

A Dismal Fourth Quarter

Senator Oppenheimer told the Summit that one fifth of state revenues come from Wall Street, much of it in the last quarter, which, this year, they expect to be dismal. This anticipated revenue shortfall is what is driving the revisions in the budget. She acknowledged that no one likes this budget, so she anticipates many changes. The biggest areas they will be tackling are healthcare and education, which account for 52% of the bottom line.

Cuts in the education and library budgets will come under Ms. Oppenheimer’s jurisdiction. If, as anticipated, she becomes chairman of the Education Committee, she will be closely scrutinizing those proposals in particular. She recognizes that developing a new state education budget in the middle of a school year, when local budgets have already been set and money has already been spent, is particularly hard on local districts. She will be looking for ways to minimize these cuts. “Reserve funds have been set aside for a rainy day, and it’s clearly raining,” she emphasized.

A Long Haul

George Latimer estimated it will probably take seven or eight quarters to come out of the current budget crisis, so the Legislature will make cuts where they can, and find other revenues where they can.

He passed out a sheet itemizing the proposed cuts, and pointed out that there are really 7 budgets representing 7 spending categories (such as School Aid, Human Services, Local Governments, etc.) that are reviewed separately and which together create the composite budget presented by the governor.

Mr. Latimer predicted that the current Republican majority in the New York Senate would not want to take any action now, leaving the tough calls to the Democratic majority that arrives in January. He pointed out that this new Democratic majority represents a diverse group of constituents and therefore does not act in unison. The needs of disparate income groups from different parts of the state must be met. He explained that to many others our county is considered rich. It is hard to persuade legislators representing areas where median incomes are lower than ours that Westchester County also has critical needs. Getting the county’s needs addressed requires intense negotiation.

Tax Increases May Be Offered

Given the political realities, Mr. Latimer feels he cannot take tax increases off the table. He may be required to offer some modest tax increases on the highest incomes in order to gain approval for spending on what he considers vital programs to his constituents. When confronting each item, he says he asks himself how this will affect human beings.

Library Trustee: Spare the Libraries

Carolyn Pomeranz, a trustee of the Mamaroneck Library, pointed out that the $20 million proposed cut to the state library budget would mean an end to the inter-library loan program. By sharing books throughout the system, each library is able to limit its purchase of new books, she said. Cuts would also hamper other library uses at a time when demands on libraries are greatest, she added. In periods of economic stress, more people turn to their local libraries for books, tapes, movies, computer time, and resources for exploring career changes. She therefore urged Senator Oppenheimer to try to find a way to fully fund the library aid line.

When asked if New York can maintain its bond rating, Mr. Latimer replied that it depends on whether the legislature can make some decisions soon.

Citizen Action

What can citizens do to influence the budget decisions? They can e-mail their views to: oppenhei@Senate.state.ny.us and latimeg@assembly.state.ny.us. Both legislators also advised that groups such as the PTAs and League of Women Voters hold public meetings on the budget. Ms. Oppenheimer added that the deliberative process in Albany is more transparent than ever, and the public can now attend the hearings.

Elaine Chapnick volunteers with The Local Summit, which is an informal community council that meets once a month. Its mission is to make our three municipalities better places to live for everyone. Meetings are open to all and are held every third Tuesday at the Nautilus Diner at 7:45 am.

Front Page

Print This Page
Email this page