New York state has a budget and it”™s on time. Whether or not it”™s on target depends on whom you ask.
We think Gov. Andrew Cuomo”™s budget is a start in getting the state back on track toward fiscal responsibility.
The $132.5-billion budget, which passed March 31 ”“ the first on-time budget in five years ”“ closes the state”™s $10 billion deficit with no new taxes but some steep cuts to education and health care.
There is something in the budget for just about everyone to hail or rail against.
The mayors of New York City and Yonkers were decrying cuts in education funding. Some of that money had been restored in the final budget but certain school districts were still feeling gypped. And some made a point of publicizing those feelings ”“ students in Yonkers stormed City Hall in protest.
We commend them for showing a passion for protecting public education.
Not surprisingly, Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone lashed out: “The governor and the Legislature have taken the monkey off their backs and put it on ours.”
He also pointed out that the state is “laying off comparatively few workers.”
True, Cuomo”™s budget did come up short in terms of reducing the state”™s payroll.
As for education, though, any mention of “cuts” raises eyebrows and makes headlines. A political hot potato, to be sure.
But if the Great Recession has taught us anything, it is that there are no sacred cows. Everything and everyone is expendable. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned by public school districts themselves. We spend more money on education than any other state, but our results are near the bottom.
No one wants to compromise children”™s education. These are our children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren ”“ and our future workforce. And no one ”“ not here, anyway ”“ wants to see hard-working people lose their jobs.
But something has to give.
State Sen. Jeff Klein, D-Westchester, the Bronx, put it plainly and logically in an interview on News 12 Westchester. He remarked that just about everyone has had to do some belt-tightening in these difficult economic times and school districts need to do the same.
But this is not to single out school districts. All areas of government would do well to consider the three Rs ”“ review, revise and restructure.
In times of fiscal constraint, business adapts. Basically, they look to match revenues to expenses. And they either change the way they deliver products or services, or go out of business.
Government needs to change the way it does things. It cannot continue to raise taxes to match its expenses. Taxpayers ”“ just as clients or customers ”“ should not bear the brunt of government”™s mismanagement of finances.
We acknowledge that some expenses ”“ Medicaid and other mandates ”“ are forced down from Albany to municipalities and we”™ve heard many times about hands being tied.
For his part, the governor has created a Mandate Relief Redesign Team, chaired by his senior adviser Larry Schwartz. The team recently issued its first report, which offers a number of recommendations. One involves the need to stem escalating pension costs.
“According to the report, county, city, town and village governments and school districts outside of New York City paid nearly $2 billion in pension costs last year, which represented approximately 7 percent of the property taxes levied by those local entities,” John Jordan reports in a story this week (see page 2).
The team recommends creating a new tier ”“ Pension Tier 6 ”“ that would help municipalities and school districts address these skyrocketing pension costs by requiring eligible workers to contribute more to their benefit plans.
Nothing outrageous. Just a common-sense approach to a new reality.
We”™re simply spending more than we can afford.
And raising property taxes is no longer an acceptable solution.
