This week New York Governor David Paterson took the advice of the commission headed by Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi and proposed placing an annual cap on property tax increases. Municipalities and school districts could only raise taxes by 4% or 120% of the consumer price index. In exchange for the cap, school districts that kept their increases below the cap could forgo the annual school budget vote. School boards which wanted an increase over the cap could still place it before the public, but 55 percent of the voters would have to agree to override the cap. Districts that used less than the 4% increase could use some of the saved money in future years.

While no one could deny that property taxes have risen pretty steeply in the last few years, we don't think the state should tie the hands of school districts any more than it has already, with its unfunded mandates and insistence that school districts adhere to the Wicks law, which drives up construction costs.

Many school district costs such as fuel and health insurance premiums have risen much more rapidly than the rate of inflation. School districts use a lot of gas to move those buses around and to heat buildings that were built before energy efficiency was important. Similarly, insurance costs are a large part of the budget because districts have many employees.

There are many reasons for budget increases, and a good school board which is exercising its stewardship makes the public aware of what the district's needs are. By eliminating the need for an annual vote, the state would remove the public from the process, and (especially in poorer areas) further alienate residents from feeling that they have any say in their community.

Between this proposal and previous attacks on "special districts," we get the feeling that there are those who would like to do away with local control in government. We think this is a mistake - local government reflects the wishes of the residents in a way that no other level of government can. It's what makes each of the communities on Long Island special in its own way.

Meg Morgan Norris

Publisher