December 11, 2008
Karen DeWitt

ALBANY, NEW YORK (2008-12-11) State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo wants to simplify complicated legal statutes that he says are preventing local governments from consolidating.

Attorney General Cuomo says there's been talk going back at least 20 years, of consolidating all of the state's various local governments in order to help reduce the highest in the nation property taxes.

He says the state has an unprecedented 10,521 local governing entities. Nearly 7000 of those are special districts, like small water districts or fire districts. The original purpose of other special districts seems to be lost in time, says Cuomo.

"One of my favorites, the 'Duck Waste District'," said Cuomo, reading from a list. "Don't ask."

Cuomo says, even if the political will were there to merge local governments, there is a nightmarish tangle of legal language that makes it nearly impossible to get rid of a local entity.

"They would have to hire a phalanx of attorneys to try to weave their way through this web," he said.

The streamlining proposed by the Attorney General would give counties more power to carry out consolidations of local governing entities, including towns, villages and special districts, within their borders. It would also give ordinary citizens more power by simplifying the petition process. It would require that just 10% of residents or 5000 people, whichever is less, need sign to trigger a vote.

Nassau Comptroller Howard Weitzman says his county is the "ground zero" for multiple levels of government, and he says it contributes to high taxes, and costs millions of unnecessary dollars.

"The things that we've been found have been eye- popping," said Weitzman. "Nepotism, no bid contracts, inefficiencies."

Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz says his county has a declining population and tax base, yet over 700 special districts.

"We need to change the system," said Poloncarz, in order to "compete in this global economy".

Supporters of the mergers say what's been difficult in the past may be easier in the near future because of the strains of the economic crisis. Cuomo says consolidation has been done before in New York, in another grim economic time, the 1930's. Then, the state had over 10,000 separate school districts. That was pared down to just 700.

The Attorney General says he thinks the public will be receptive to consolidation.

"When people are cutting back on their Christmas presents, they're not going to let you waste their tax dollars," Cuomo said.

But he admits the idea will be a hard sell in the state legislature.

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