Despite the high burden school taxes place on many Onondaga County taxpayers, the recently established ConsensusCNY commission will focus instead on modernizing the county’s general-purpose governments.

Taxes levied by 25 school districts in Onondaga County account for 50 percent or more of the annual tax bills paid by many local property owners, but the commission says school taxes deserve attention from a separate review process.

“The school districts need their own study,” Kathy Murphy told some 50 listeners at a forum conducted March 31 at Salina Town Hall.

Murphy represents Syracuse20/20, one of six organizations supporting ConsensusCNY.

“I hope a [separate] commission will examine school districts and decide how to move that conversation,” she added.

Salina Town Supervisor Mark Nicotra, a member of the commission who hosted last month’s meeting, agreed with Murphy.

“If we dealt with the school districts,” Nicotra said, “it would bog down this process.”

To determine how to provide better services more efficiently to the community, the 19-member ConsensusCNY Commission on local government modernization has been formed under the leadership of former U.S. Rep. Jim Walsh, Cornelius Murphy of SUNY ESF and M. Catherine Richardson, a retired attorney.

The effort was funded by a $250,000 state grant secured by state senators John DeFrancisco (R-Syracuse) and David Valesky (D-Oneida).

Discussions at the March 31 meeting centered on two concerns: state and federal mandates and fire departments.

One town councilor complained that too many state and federal regulations and spending mandates negatively affect local governments.

Several local firefighters expressed worries about the status of their departments.

Murphy pointed out that more than 55 different agencies, including 20 fire districts with taxing authority, provide fire protection across the county at a total cost of about $12 million.

“We need as much public input as possible,” Nicotra said. “The commission’s final report is due at the end of this year.”

Rochester’s Center for Governmental Research has been hired as a commission consultant.

A commission meeting is set for April 24, but no further public forums are presently scheduled.

To read the Preliminary Baseline Review and related studies conducted over the past decade, visit ConsensusCNY.com.