NYSAC UPDATE
Accomplishments, Challenges and Change New York’s New Political Landscape By Ryan Gregoire, NYSAC Legislative Director
W
hile 2021 presented many successes for counties to applaud, this past year certainly wasn’t without challenges. As counties continue to vaccinate New Yorkers against COVID-19, stand-up school based COVID-19 testing, and respond to community needs in an evolving world, our state’s economic outlook remains uncertain and policy leaders in Albany will need to be laser focused on rebuilding, reimaging, and reforming government to work for everyone. The NYS Capitol had been closed to visitors, but as COVID cases declined over the late spring and summer, the building, a symbol of state government, has begun to return to normal. As this building re-opens to the public, so does a renewed sense of advocacy and engagement with our executive. Governor Kathy Hochul has assumed the reins of power and has promised to use her platform to usher in a new era of transparency, cooperation, and respect—and that includes her partners in government, counties.
Several components in last year's budget will have an impact on county operations, including: •
A continuation of county sales tax diversion to pay for the distressed provider relief fund. This legislation sunsets March 31, 2022. Stopping this diversion from continuing will be a top priority of the Association in SFY 23 budget negotiations.
•
A continuation of county sales tax diversion for AIMrelated payments. The Executive Budget had proposed shifting the remaining town and village AIM program to the county sales tax diversion. This proposal was ultimately rejected; however, the state did not resolve the current $59.1 million AIM-related program.
•
Increased funding for community colleges. The enacted budget provides an additional $14.37 million for community college base aid above the Governor’s request, a $50 per FTE increase with each campus guaranteed to receive at least 98 percent of the prior year base aid amount.
•
Boards of elections capital infrastructure investments. The enacted budget includes an additional $25 million capital appropriation, of which $20 million shall be made available to local boards of elections for replacement of voting systems and equipment, absentee ballot scanners, mail processing equipment and infrastructure to protect the connectivity and security of county election software.
•
A full breakdown of the state budget impact to counties can be found on the NYSAC website: www.nysac.org/ nysbudget.
As NYSAC strengthens our relationships with state lawmakers and forges new relationships with executive chamber staff, our policy priorities and 2022 legislative agenda will be more important than ever.
A Look Back at 2021 This year’s $212 billion state budget was enacted during a challenging period of a prolonged COVID pandemic and political uncertainty with the former Governor. While local Medicaid caps were preserved and local home rule revenue authority was extended, a continuation of the distressed hospital fund and mandating that counties use local sales tax to pay for state programs continues to be a troubling practice in this year’s budget.
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NYSAC News | Fall 2021
