By Associated Press
Albany, NY – Legislative leaders on Friday said they will act to rescind a measure that would divert $23 million in speeding fines from local governments to the state.
The measure was proposed in the budget proposed by Gov. George Pataki, who reasoned that fines collected by state police enforcement should help fund the state police.
Approved by the Legislature in August, the controversial plan would have taken the speeding fine -- usually written by state troopers -- even if the case was ultimately reduced to some other offense, according to the New York Conference of Mayors.
"This is a victory for local governments and a victory for local taxpayers," said Edward Farrell of the New York Conference of Mayors.
The Albany suburb of Guilderland, for example, expected to lose $50,000 to $100,000 a year under the plan.
The revenue-raising measure -- part of the overall $101 billion state budget -- was opposed by the mayors' group and other high-profile lobbyists including the New York State Association of Counties. The measure was also opposed in editorials, including a strongly worded rebuke in The Buffalo News headlined "Speed Trap" that questioned the state's honesty, and the Albany Times Union which called the measure "the most cynical spending plan in a long history of smoke-and-mirrors accounting."
The Assembly will take up the measure Monday when it is scheduled to convene for a one-day special session. Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said his chamber will take up the repeal measure when the Senate returns in November, after Election Day.
Both chambers said they changed their position after hearing the criticism and considering a recent Comptroller's Office report that found state revenues running ahead of projections.
"In a lot of cities and communities around the state, this provision of the budget became this year's symbol of how much Albany does to raise local government spending and force up local taxes," said Matthew Maguire of the state Business Council. "Local communities are getting sick of it and (state leaders) are increasingly aware of that."
Farrell said he's not sure how the measure made it through to the budget, adopted by the Legislature four months after the April 1 deadline.
"It's not as if they didn't have enough time to look at it," Farrell said. "It's terrible policy ... we're hopeful the governor will show the same wisdom."
"We'll have to review this legislation within the context of keeping the state's budget in balance, given that the (Legislature's) adopted budget created a current year $430 million shortfall and drives multibillion dollar deficits in the next two years," said Pataki spokesman Michael Marr.
"The (Assembly) members have made it known that they don't want to balance the state budget on the backs of localities," said Charles Carrier, spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
Copyright 2004, The Associated Press