Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ventured into the heart of Western New York suburbia Tuesday to ceremonially sign a property tax increase limit that he called the "crown jewel" of the just-completed legislative session.
Butn the front lawn of the Martin family residence in Lancaster, Cuomo also challenged local governments, which have complained that state mandates cripple their spending-control efforts, to make the tax increase limit work.
"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." As he did last week in two similar events in Nassau and Westchester counties, he touted several other legislative accomplishments -- though he did not mention legalization of same sex marriage.
But more than any other legislative accomplishment, he dwelled on the tax increase limit that he maintains will strip the state of its title as "tax capital of the nation."
The new law will limit annual increases in property tax levies to 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. Local voters could override the limit with a 60 percent majority.
And while local officials counter that the state still must reduce its requirements on local government -- especially in helping to pay for Medicaid -- Cuomo reiterated familiar calls for school districts and other governments to consolidate and benefit from economies of scale by reducing bureaucracy that he described as bloated.
The days of simply raising taxes to cover costs are over, and reducing expenses on all levels must now rank as a top priority, he said.
"No one has done it more than the state has done it; we actually have a reduction in our budget," he said.
"There has been a major shift in the trajectory of the state," he added. "It says New York gets it."
Cuomo was joined at the Martin home in a sparkling new Lancaster subdivision by just about all of the Republican and Democratic members of the local delegation in the State Legislature, except Sen. Mark J. Grisanti, the Buffalo Republican who has garnered national attention with his June 24 vote to legalize same sex marriage.
Assemblyman Dennis H. Gabryszak, D-Cheektowaga, and State Sen. Patrick Gallivan, R-Elma, echoed a Cuomo theme during their remarks that credited a rare spirit of bipartisanship in the state capital.
"It was about doing the work of the state and putting party politics aside," Cuomo said.
Cuomo, who appeared relaxed during a meeting with reporters, also discussed the appointment of former Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo, to a $139,000 position as senior vice president for regional economic development at Empire State Development Corp. He said Hoyt, whom he said he has known for many years, is qualified for the position as someone who "knows Buffalo; he knows Western New York; he knows Albany; and he knows how Albany works."
"He's been in politics; he's been a professional," he said. "He brings a great skill set because knowledge of the local community, and what the local community needs, is key."
At Tuesday's ceremony, the governor introduced Hoyt as part of the Western New York delegation.
The governor's appearance in Lancaster marked a major local event as neighbors flocked to watch the hordes of reporters and politicians crowding onto the Martin front lawn. Jennifer Martin, who teaches fitness at a local Gold's Gym, said the family was randomly picked by the governor's office, asking if they would host his Tuesday appearance.
She and her husband are registered Democrats, according to state voting records. Martin described the couple as only marginally political, though she said they have financially supported Cuomo in the past.
"We're just an average family that got a phone call," she said.
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