Dear Editor,
At this time last year, Governor Hochul withheld Federal Medicaid funds from the counties to supplement her overextended and overspent budget for incurred debts made, but not previously budgeted for.
This year in Hochul’s proposed budget for 2024/25 she is doing the same thing, only now it’s to the budgets of counties and the towns. Hochul is cutting $60 million in CHIPS funding intended for local infrastructure maintenance. Her intent is proposed in the 2024-25 state-spending plan. Again, and after the fact that counties and towns have already put in place their entire 2024 fiscal year budget.
The CHIPS program is the state’s primary account to budget funding for counties and towns to maintain local roads, bridges, and culverts. Without the return to our local governments of our state tax dollars, the cost of maintaining infrastructure is either not going to happen; and / or taxpayers will be paying via state withholding and state sales taxes; and / or there will be an increase in the 2025 County and Town Property Tax Bills (raise those rents).
Like many other mandated reimbursable funded programs, this will become another Unfunded Mandate. Governor Hochul, the Democrats’ gift that keeps on giving, I mean taking.
Contact the Governor if you have an opinion at www.governor.ny.gov/.
Sincerely,
Florence Alpert
Candor, N.Y.
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