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Newsday.com
Cuomo: "10,521 governments" too many
State attorney general proposes making it easier to consolidate or dissolve local governments
BY SANDRA PEDDIE
December 11, 2008
Flanked by politicians and good-government advocates, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo today unveiled a plan to make it easier to reduce the myriad local governments in the state.
"When people are cutting back on their Christmas presents, they're not going to let you waste their tax dollars," he told a standing-room-only crowd.
Currently, a byzantine patchwork of laws makes it nearly impossible to consolidate or dissolve local governments -- largely, Cuomo said, because politicians want to protect their own bureaucracies and patronage jobs.
"10,521 governments," he said, referring to the total number of local governments his office has counted statewide. "That's a lot of jobs, that's a lot of patronage jobs, that's a lot of bureaucracy."
Cuomo added that the number might not be correct. "Even government doesn't know how many governments there are for sure . . .That's when you know it's out of control."
The proposal requires legislative approval. Cuomo said his office would work with legislators to draft a statute to accomplish the reform.
In a later interview with Newsday, he said the proposed reform is critical "because that's where the money is."
New Yorkers currently have the highest local tax burden in the country.
Cuomo's proposed reform would streamline the process of consolidating or dissolving local governments.
Citizens seeking to consolidate or dissolve a local government currently must undertake a complicated petition process that is easily challenged on technical grounds. In addition, there are different standards for different types of districts.
Under Cuomo's proposal, citizens would have a simpler three-step process before a government could be dissolved or consolidated. First, they would have to collect signatures from 10 percent of the voters who voted in the previous gubernatorial election or 5,000 people, whichever is less. If successful, the issue would trigger a vote. If the issue passes, the local governing body would have a year to complete consolidation or dissolution.
In addition, current law makes it impossible for county governments to dissolve or consolidate local government entities, Cuomo said. The proposed reform would enable counties to do so.
Citing the nation's current economic maelstrom, Cuomo said, "It is a crisis. The numbers are frightening . . . I believe this is a gut-check moment."
Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.
