MAYVILLE – More than 70 elected officials and government representatives from across Chautauqua County were in Mayville Wednesday to begin the process of looking for ways to increase the shared services.
Chautauqua County executive Vince Horigan hosted the shared services forum in order to go over the basic details of the governor’s property tax freeze program, which was announced earlier this year and involves providing rebates to residents across the state if their local governments are able to hold the line on spending and also find ways to share services.
Joining Horigan was Dave Lucas from from the New York State Association of Counties, who explained why the program was initiated.
“It’s to get folks to look at different ways to deliver services,” Lucas explained. “Is there a better way to do it? Is there a more efficient way? Since they’re both performing the same service, can they do it better if they do it together?”
Lucas also explained that through the program if local governments are able to show the state that they are able to prevent an increase in local spending by combining services with other municipalities, the state would pass that savings on to the local taxpayers in those areas.
“Someone freezes the levy or cuts it, they should get a rebate check for the maximum allowable growth for that jurisdiction, and that is how they changed the bill [to make it better for local governments],” Lucas said. “In some jurisdictions the check [per property owners] could be quit small. In others you might get a couple of hundred books. It depends on the value of the home, along with other factors.”
Assemblyman Andy Goodell was also in attendance to answer questions, one of which was why is the state asking local governments to share services, when it could do a better job of creating more efficiencies in Albany. Goodell explained that some effort has in fact been made in Albany to reduce spending, but admited more can also be done.
“For example we’ve consolidated race & wagering and the lottery into one commission on gaming. We’ve created a new financial serves group that combines banking and insurance, so the state has been doing that, and that’s one reason why the state’s overall general fund spending has been below two percent.”
In order to qualify for a rebates, local governments are to first demonstrate that they are staying within the state’s required tax cap program… that includes not passing a local law to over ride a tax cap. In the second year, the municipalities are to submit an Efficiency Plan to the state by June 1, 2015.
Horrigan says the county will be collecting information from local governments between now and June 1 of next year to identify shared services that are already in place, as well as determine what other efficiencies can be created. The group of local government leaders will meet again in November to get an update on that process.
Information will also be updated on the county website at www.co.chautauqua.ny.us.
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