ALBANY - Governor David A. Paterson today accepted the final report of the Commission on Property Tax Relief. The Commission’s report contains dozens of measures that would reduce costs for local school districts and provide relief to New York’s taxpayers, who are burdened with the highest local taxes in the nation. The report was presented to Governor Paterson by Commission Chairman and Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi and the members of the Commission.

The report contains 32 recommendations, including a property tax cap and several additional proposals designed to rein in school districts’ costs, therefore addressing the root causes of high property taxes. Included in those recommendations are consolidation measures, mandate relief, mayoral control of school districts in the “Big Four” cities, and a STAR “circuit breaker.”

“While our first order of business must be to guide the State out of our current fiscal crisis, we have an obligation to make New York a more affordable place to live. We must stem the tide of people leaving our State,” said Governor Paterson. “With these recommendations, the Commission has laid out a blueprint for property tax relief that would benefit taxpayers while ensuring a sound education for all children. I am hopeful that the Commission’s recommendations will guide us toward legislation that will help school districts maintain current programs and provide a high standard of education for all students.”

Commission Chairman Suozzi said: “Governor Paterson has shown extraordinary leadership on behalf of the taxpayers of our State, especially during this time of fiscal crisis. The Governor is a champion of property tax relief on the statewide level and introduced property tax cap legislation in June. Since then, the economy has worsened and the Governor has fought tirelessly to rein in the State’s budget. Throughout the State, school officials testified to the Commission that they do not want to raise taxes above the capped amount, but to succeed they must have mandate relief. Now, in this report, we bring the property tax cap together with mandate relief to empower school districts to reduce costs in these harsh economic times.”

The Commission’s 32 recommendations fall into the following categories:

• Implementation of a property tax cap.
• Reduce the burden of excessive mandates: No new legislative or regulatory mandates without a complete accounting of the fiscal impact on local governments.
• Decrease school district personnel costs: Reduce the primary expense driver for school districts.
• Limit other school district operational costs: Includes consolidation of school districts with fewer than 1,000 students, consolidation of non-instructional services through BOCES, and granting mayoral control of school districts in the “Big Four” cities.
• Improve special education: Recommended in the testimony of many school representatives as an area where mandates and costs could be reduced while student opportunities are improved.
• Encourage efficient delivery of social services to students in schools.
• Address other equity concerns for property taxpayers: Includes establishment of statewide property assessment standards.