Levy to Cuomo: Give Us Our Money, Reform Mandates

Governor Andrew Cuomo's  New York State Mandate Relief Redesign Team released a 87-page report Tuesday. 

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy is not impressed.

Calling the report — attached to this article in PDF form — "a missed opportunity," Levy said the report failed to make real recommendations for changing state-mandated areas that are choking local governments: labor law, mandatory arbitration and pension.

Levy said that two major state-labor laws "hamstring" local governments: the Triborough Amendment and the Taylor Law. "Without changes to these laws, generous step increases and benefits remain in place even after expiration of a contract. Without addressing these laws, labor negotiations with any public bargaining unit in the state will continue to be heavily stacked against the taxpayers,” he said.

Levy also said the report also failed to recognize the step taken by New Jersey’s governor to cap mandatory arbitration salary award increases at two percent.

“On Long Island, the public safety unions continually leap frog over each other’s generous awards, to the point where we have police officers costing us $200,000 in salary, health benefits and pension,” said Levy. “This unsustainable system must be halted.”

Finally, he said, while the report does recommend a new Tier VI for the state pension system, that does not go nearly far enough to provide real taxpayer relief. Levy renewed his call for a new Tier based upon a defined contribution into the system, rather than guaranteeing a defined rate of return to payees, similar to the 401-k plans most common in the private sector or the TIAA-CREF plan used by colleges and universities.

In a separate release, Levy blasted New York State for delays in reimbursements to  Suffolk County for vital mandated Services. Suffolk County has been forced to increase borrowing due to delays in getting reimbursed from New York State, he said. 

The mandates not reimbursed to the county from the state as of Jan. 31 included in Levy's 'state cash-flow watch' include : 

• Education services for children (ages 3 to 5) with learning disabilities - $21.3 million
• Public Health Services - $20.4 million
• Early Intervention Services for children (ages 0 - 2) with learning disabilities - $6.1 million
• Medical Examiner Services - $2.8 million
• Police traffic enforcement for DOT construction on roads - $1.1 million