NYS Assembly passes government consolidation bill

BY JAMES T. MADORE | james.madore@newsday.com

9:33 PM EDT, June 1, 2009

ALBANY - The Assembly Monday overwhelming approved a bill from Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to streamline the process of consolidating local governments.

The bill passed 117 to 26, with Long Island's 21-member delegation nearly evenly split.

Supporters of the bill said abolishing some of New York's 10,521 governments would reduce property taxes. But critics expressed concern that fewer towns, villages, fire districts and other special districts would lead to diminished services.

Several lawmakers said they planned to introduce legislation to exempt fire districts, if Cuomo's bill is signed into law.

The government consolidation measure, which was inspired by Newsday stories, had been expected to pass the Assembly despite last-minute lobbying by volunteer firefighters and mayors who oppose it. They now are pinning their hopes on the State Senate, which is expected to take up the bill tomorrow.

"We need relief . . . our constituents are drowning in property taxes," said Assemb. Patricia Eddington (D-Medford). "This bill could be a remedy, though practically no school districts have consolidated and we already have a mechanism in place for that."

Assemb. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-St. James), noting that Long Island is home to more than 900 local governments, praised Cuomo's effort to ease the process for collecting petition signatures for referendums on consolidation. Some governments "no longer serve the people" but exist to "support" their employees, Fitzpatrick said.

Still, several Nassau lawmakers criticized the bill, saying it permits counties to run roughshod over small villages and special districts. The lawmakers also called for a higher threshold of petition signatures to avoid a disgruntled minority from pushing through a merger plan.

Assemb. Robert Barra (R-Lynbrook) agreed, saying the legislation has caused alarm among Nassau's villages and special districts. "This bill is a complete sham. It will not save taxpayers any money," he said.

The vote was expected to be closer in the Senate. Last night, the Republican minority met privately to discuss the bill.

Scott Reif, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos (R- Rockville Centre), said, "We have a number of concerns about this bill, including the amount of savings that can actually be achieved."