ALBANY -- The day before New Yorkers head to the polls to elect local officials, Gov. Andrew Cuomo released an eight-minute video making the case that the newly imposed tax cap is beginning to have its intended effect on the thousands of taxing entities across the state, rolling back the average rate of increase and bringing "much-needed scrutiny to government spending."
"Local property taxes are simply out of control," Cuomo said, ticking off the list of New York counties that are on the list of the nation's highest property taxes -- with Nassau, Westchester and Rockland all in the top five.
The cap, signed into law over the summer, limits annual tax increases to 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less, with exceptions for a percentage of pension cost increases and growth-related costs. An increase above the cap requires a 60 percent vote of the community or its governing board.
"The cap is about putting you and your neighbors back in control of your community's spending," Cuomo said.
The governor used a large chunk of the video's running time to repeat his criticism of school spending, especially administrative costs, in relation to what he describes as poor results for top-dollar state investment. Cuomo has been vocal in his criticism of high-salaried superintendents in certain districts.
Education advocates have argued that some of the numbers cited by Cuomo and used again in the video are misleading. For example, a 34 percent boost in spending on supervisory positions includes jobs such as guidance counselors, nurses and social workers.
Carl Korn, spokesman for New York State United Teachers, said the union had no immediate response to the video.
Cuomo also used the video to announce the launch of CitizenConnects, a new website -- dubbed an "electronic town hall" -- designed to promote involvement in state issues and spread the word about the administration's initiatives.
Reach Seiler at 454-5619 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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