Hoosick Falls Stands to Lose Over $30,000
By Doug La Rocque
It’s called the Aid and Incentives to Municipalities program (AIM), and under Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed fiscal year 2020 budget, area villages would stand to lose more than $104,000 collectively. The governor is asking the state legislature to agree to eliminate the aid to any village, where that aid amounts to less than 2% of its total budget.
State Senator Daphne Jordan, who represents most of the villages in The Eastwick Press coverage area, fired off a letter to the Governor last Friday, January 18, saying he “must stop taking AIM from – and AIM at – upstate communities. She also accused the Governor of trying to balance the state budget on the backs of local taxpayers and local communities.
Of all the area villages, Hoosick Falls would be the biggest loser under the budget proposal, with $30,578 in funding being eliminated. Cambridge would lose $11,751 dollars. Mayor Carman Bogle said “we actually received $17,153 last year, they are reducing it to $11,000 plus before cutting it in 2020. This is over a 1% cut to our budget. That is huge for our small municipality. It is disheartening to have the Governor remove aid that directly provides services to our communities, and forces an increase in taxes. Local government provides essential public protection that affects the everyday lives of taxpayers.” The Mayor also notes replacing the lost 1% could eat up half of the mandated 2% tax cap.
The Governor’s Office Responds
In a statement to USA Today, Cuomo’s Budget Director Robert Mujica said the AIM Cuts only affect towns and villages in which the funding “is not a significant factor in their overall budgets.” He also indicated that local governments would be in line for a $370 million sales tax windfall in the Governor’s budget, which would close an Internet loophole that has allowed companies like Amazon and Ebay to avoid collecting sales tax on sales by third parties using the companies’ platforms to sell goods.
A List of Village Losses
Chatham – $14,481
Valatie – $ 9,388
Castlerton – $13,422
Hoosick Falls – $30,578