Don't gum up consolidation law
State Sen. Jack M. Martins Credit: Newsday/Ken Sawchuk
Long Island is covered by a crazy-quilt of villages, towns and special districts of every stripe. It also has among the highest property taxes in the nation.
Although school spending is the main cause of our high taxes, all those local governments are costly too. When Andrew M. Cuomo was attorney general, he pushed through a bill to make merging some of them easier.
Now that legislation is under attack by some of its former opponents. State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola) has persuaded his chamber to pass a bill that supposedly would clarify Cuomo's Government Reorganization and Citizen Empowerment Act. Michelle Schimel (D-Great Neck) is backing an identical bill in the Assembly.
The original legislation might do with a bit of clarification, but these changes appear to be intended more to hamper than refine. For instance, the law currently sets no limit on how long organizers can take to collect signatures on petitions to eliminate a local entity. The new proposal would set a too-tight 60-day deadline.
The existing law requires a referendum if the petitions have enough signatures. The new proposal would require a second referendum, this time after a consolidation plan is adopted by the local government. The new bill also mandates more delay. Local governments would get more time to schedule referendums, and could appoint a study commission.
Gov. Cuomo sensibly opposes the new bill. If it passes, he should veto it. hN
