Albany watch: Tax cap the 'biggest threat'

Count Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri among the Suffolk County village officials who say Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's proposal for freezing property tax rates hinders local control.

"I really believe the biggest threat to villages is the tax cap," Pontieri said recently.

Notably, some Democrats have touted Pontieri as a State Senate candidate in the race to replace Sen. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), who is running for Congress.

Cuomo has proposed giving homeowners an income-tax credit to offset property-tax increases in municipalities that stick to a 2 percent property-tax cap and reduce costs through consolidations or shared savings with other entities.

-- Yancey Roy