Cuomo signs, praises property-tax cap

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ventured into the heart of western New York suburbia Tuesday to ceremonially sign a property-tax cap he called the "crown jewel" of the just-completed legislative session.

But as he initiated a path toward significant tax relief on the front lawn of the Martin family residence in Lancaster, Cuomo also challenged local government to make the tax cap work -- despite officials' complaints that state mandates cripple their efforts.

"Government keeps saying we need more money, but the taxpayer doesn't have any more money," the governor told reporters. "Government is going to have to do what families have done and what business has had to do. They're going to have to find savings."

The Lancaster ceremony, with Ian and Jennifer Martin and their three sons looking on, was part of a continuing "victory lap" the governor has taken in recent days to highlight what he called "a great year in Albany doing the people's work." Last week he visited the Lynbrook home of James Gannon to tout the cap legislation.

Under the cap, property-tax increases will be limited to 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. Local voters could override the cap with a 60 percent vote on the budget for school boards or local legislative bodies.

And while local government counters that Albany still must reduce its requirements on local government -- especially in Medicaid -- Cuomo reiterated familiar calls for school districts to consolidate and achieve economies of scale in the face of a bureaucracy he said is bloated.

"No one has done it more than the state has done it; we actually have a reduction in our budget," he said.