Proposed AIM cuts could result in $570k countywide loss

By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

Area village mayors gathered at East Syracuse Village Hall on Jan. 24 to state their opposition to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to halt Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM) funding to thousands of municipalities across New York state. The villages affected in Onondaga County could lose $570,000 in AIM dollars.

Cuomo’s executive budget proposal, which he released Jan. 15, would cut (AIM) funding for towns and villages in which AIM accounts for less than two percent of their budgets. All but one of the 15 villages in Onondaga County face losing their AIM funding, and all 19 towns will lose out. In total, towns and villages stand to lose $59 million, with Onondaga County’s municipalities losing about $2.5 million.

“Please don’t abandon the heartbeat of America,” said Derek Baichi, mayor of the village of Solvay, which stands to lose $173,093.

Peter Baynes, executive director of the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM), called the proposed cuts “an attack on 1,300 communities in New York state.” Of the 1,465 towns and villages across the state, 1,328 are at risk of losing their funding.

According to the Onondaga County Mayors’ Association, the 531 villages in New York state received $19.7 million in AIM funding, which accounted for one hundredth of one percent (0.01 percent) of the total state budget of $171.7 billion.

Mark Olson, Fayetteville mayor and president of the Onondaga County Mayors’ Association, said the governor has given no explanation for his proposed changes to AIM. He said Cuomo has mistakenly placed the blame on towns and villages for New York state’s high property taxes.

“The governor does not understand villages,” Olson said. “He said during the debate [last year with Republican opponent Marc Molinaro] the reason our taxes are so high is local government.”

Olson said if Fayetteville lost its $37,418 in AIM funding, it would equal a tax increase of 13 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. He noted that state aid for school districts has risen 35 percent in the last six years, while AIM funding has not seen an increase in a decade.

Olson said the governor should preserve AIM funding and educate himself about how villages are run.

“Don’t come to the airport and drop off the check off. Come into my municipality and see: There’s no excessive staff or buildings. Those days are over,” he said.

Baldwinsville Mayor Dick Clarke said B’ville has fought hard to remain under the state-mandated tax increase cap. The loss of AIM funds — $53,804 for B’ville — would force the village to either make dramatic spending cuts or increase taxes. Baldwinsville just added positions in its department of public works and police department; funding cuts would jeopardize those jobs.

“And our village is growing. We’re adding apartments on Downer Street; we’re adding apartments on Lock Street,” Clarke said.

Clarke said while villages often perform the same services as towns and cities — maintenance of roads and sewers, parks programs and more — villages do so more efficiently.

“I think our money is the best spent money,” he said.

Villages are able to render services more immediately and with a personal touch, Clarke said.

“People come into my office and if they have s complaint, we sit down and talk about it,” he said.

Clarke said a resident called him recently because of a water main break. He told her to notify the DPW. The woman called back to tell him, “They were here in 20 minutes.”

“You think the city of Syracuse could do that [or] the county could do that? Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t,” Clarke said.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon joined the mayors at the Jan. 24 press conference, imploring lawmakers to leave AIM intact.

“If you do not restore this funding, you are voting for a property tax increase, plain and simple,” McMahon said.

McMahon said governors sometimes include proposals like this in their budgets “because they want legislators to play ball.” Legislators might be willing to compromise on items the governor wants in exchange for benefits for their own communities. Minoa Mayor Bill Brazill said the governor has increased the pressure on villages to dissolve.

McMahon said he has discussed the issue with the Suffolk and Nassau county executive, and the issue will come up at next week’s New York State Association of Counties Legislative Conference.

“This isn’t just affecting Onondaga County. It’s affecting Long Island, where there are a lot of swing seats,” McMahon said.

Baynes, the director of NYCOM, said downstate counties would do well to align with their upstate counterparts on the AIM issue.

“It’s in their political interest to support this, to show they’re a state community and not just a metropolitan community,” he said.

Baynes said NYCOM is calling on State Senate and Assembly representatives as well as county officials throughout the state to stand against the governor’s proposal.

“It’s our job to make sure this message is delivered to every corner of the state,” he said.