January 20, 2022
HORNELL, NY – Mayor John Buckley and Hornell Department of Public Works Chief Mitch Cornish tell Wlea News that because of Winter Storm Izzy, Hornell DPW crews were out in full force, from Sunday night through Tuesday. They were in 18 DPW vehicles, both trucks and snowplows, and DPW workers put in a lot of overtime hours on this – a total of 265 overtime hours.
January 20, 2022
CANISTEO, NY – Canisteo Village Police Chief Kyle Amidon reports, that Richard Vail, 42, Bath, was picked up for failure to appear in court to answer to several previous charges: 2nd and 3rd degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and criminal use of drug paraphernaila in the 2nd degree.
Police Chief Amidon says that the drug said to have been found when Vail was originally arrested in Canisteo, was meth amphetamines.
January 20, 2022
Arkport Republican Party Nominates Matthews
By Jasmine Willis
Arkport, NY — The Republican Caucus was held on Jan. 20 at 7p.m. to nominate Alan Matthews as trustee in the upcoming March 15 Village Election.
There was a unanimous vote to nominate Matthews as candidate for one of the two trustee seats available.
Republican Mayor Thomas Dugo served his two-year term. Dugo will not be running again in the upcoming election. There was no one nominated in the Republican Party to replace him.
Matthews said he had prior experience serving on the Arkport Central Board of Education. He wants to invest into his community if given a chance in the trustee position.
Trustee Ryan Beers and Trustee John Hedges are stepping down leaving two seats open on the village board. Beers has chosen to step down for family reasons. Hedges has the longest run on the village board with over 20 years of experience. He has chosen to step away for his other work obligations.
Republican Trustee Mike Brewer and Republican Trustee Ezra Geist each have served multiple terms on the village board. They agree that the local politics have never been a problem in this community. Everyone works well together and wants the best for the village.
Dugo said his term was short due to Covid-19 Pandemic. He was elected for the position in October 2020. Dugo said it was a challenging time, but he rose to the opportunity to help his community.
“Elections are always in March and last for two years, but due to the Covid-19 Pandemic they put it off. They put off all the village elections until September 2020,” he said. “It was like with everything else. We had the mask mandates and had to wear them at all the meetings. We had to deal with all the regulations from the state at the time.”
Geist said the village board mentioned the idea of holding zoom meetings but chose to meet in person instead. They all practiced social distancing and wore masks.
The USDA Rural Development Grant came from the Covid-19 Pandemic term, and that was a proud investment into the village. Dugo said it was a lot of paperwork, and working with the government to get grants. It proved to be a huge task even in these hard times.
Brewer said the village board had to jump through many hoops to get even a dollar from the state, and it was hard when there was an obvious need in the community.
Dugo said he learned a lot working with his trustees who had tons of experience on the village board. It proved to be very helpful in his challenging term during the pandemic.
Brewer said Beers and Hedges will both be missed on the village board. Geist said Hedges has a couple of businesses right now that he is stepping down to focus on at this time.
“You can’t beat the experience that John had on the board. We are going to miss working with him. Ryan’s wife is having her second baby, so he is stepping down to be with his family. We wish him all of the best with them,” he said.
Matthews said this is the second time his family has returned to this community. He lived in Arkport in the early 2000s before getting a transfer to Rochester.
“I was on the school board when I lived here the last time. We have chosen to come back and make Arkport our home again,” he said. “This is just a little way of giving something back.”
Brewer said he believes all the candidates will be running unopposed due to the fact there are only two trustee seats open and the mayor seat. He said there could be a write-in that no one is aware of. There was a case of a write-in vote winning in Alfred State a few years back due to students making that choice without telling anyone. Brewer said it was an interesting story and a case where the students won due to a write-in vote.
“You just need to get out there and talk to all of your friends and neighbors to ask them to vote that night. That is what I have always done. Just let them know you would appreciate their vote about a week before the election. Knock on wood I haven’t had to run against anyone. That is the sad part in a way, because you wish there would be more people getting involved. On one hand it is nice that you know you are going to win, and on the other hand you wish more people would get involved. The problem is when something big happens they will have the questions, but they don’t show up for the meetings. I wish there was more participation like that in the meetings,” he said.
The village board reminisced about the case involving Dollar General. Geist said it was impressive to see big city powerful lawyers be cornered with questions by the community. According to Geist, there was a 98 percent disapproval rate to have a Dollar General in the village, and the entire village board was against it as well. The deal fell through, and no move was made to bring the popular franchise to the village. That goes down in history as one of the most well-attended meetings the village ever had with standing room only.
Matthews said if he is elected on the village board, he plans to represent the community the best way he can. He wants to listen to the voice of the village when things like the Dollar General come along. He wants everyone to feel heard, and talk to people about what they want to see happen in the community.
Dugo said he served as mayor in his village to help people in a small town. He wanted to give back to his community. Dugo agrees with Brewer in the wish for more people to get involved in the future.
The Arkport Village Election is March 15 at the Village Community Room.
June 19, 2022
Coming out of the 2020 pandemic and forced economic shutdowns, we looked to 2021 with the optimism of a return to normal. While the warm months may have teased us with a sense of normal, as the cold months set in, we were quickly reminded that the pandemic is far from over.
COVID cases haven’t been the only thing increasing. Inflation has risen rapidly in the last year and is currently gripping the nation, affecting costs across the board, with no end in sight.
Despite the ongoing pandemic and soaring inflation, the state of the city remains strong. Closing out our last fiscal year, my administration held the line on spending, and working closely with the City Chamberlain and Department Heads, was able to come in well under budget while delivering the high level of City services that our residents expect and rely on.
Coming in under budget and with higher-than-expected revenues we added over a million dollars to the city’s fund balance last fiscal year! This earned us an A plus credit rating from Moody’s and a glowing annual report from our auditors.
Economic development in Hornell continues to flourish, with millions of dollars being invested here in the Maple City. In the Wegmans/Walmart Plaza, work has recently begun on the new business class Hampton Inn hotel. This hotel will feature 78 units, adding to the city’s lodging capacity and is expected to create between 25-30 jobs.
Alstom continues to grow and add jobs, currently employing roughly 800 people, with more expected in the near future. They were recently awarded a $1.8 billion dollar Metra contract to replace the aging Chicago metropolitan area fleet, a contract that calls for a base order of 200 cars to be built in Hornell with the option of 300 more. Alstom expects to hire an additional 250 employees which means more, good paying jobs for years to come. In preparation for the Metra contract, sitework and the construction of a new 150,000 square foot factory for new Car Shell manufacturing has begun. With the help of the City and IDA, an EDA Grant for $3.4 million dollars was recently awarded to assist Alstom in the construction of this facility.
In June, Park Grove Reality completed the Rockland Silk Mill project transforming the old Marion-Rohr building into 23 loft style apartments, with most units already filled. This project, along with the Basset and Riedman developments, have helped address the lack of high-end market rate living units here in Hornell. The Marion-Rohr project alone reflects a $6 million dollar investment in the city. Park Grove Reality also recently purchased the former Bryant School with plans to repurpose the building into 39 work force apartment units.
Throughout the pandemic, my administration has continued to work alongside the Steuben County Department of Public Health. In a recent effort to alleviate pressure on St. James Hospital, the Hornell Fire Department has been offering weekly, free rapid COVID testing at the Community Arts Center. Test kits are provided by the County with testing completed by Hornell Fire Department personnel. Led by Chief Frank Brzozowski, the Fire Department continues to meet the ever-growing needs of our community, responding to a record number of ambulance calls over the past year. Chief Brzozowski also instituted an innovative in-house fire training academy for the many new members of the department who will be serving our community for years to come.
We are very fortunate and blessed to have such a caring and community minded police department. That said, Law Enforcement faces increasing challenges, dealing with a myriad of issues from drug and mental health calls to disastrous bail reform laws which continue to weaken public safety. Today, I call on the Governor and the Legislature to take a common-sense approach to bail reform and take the handcuffs off law enforcement.
The Codes Department continues to be very active and successful in helping to get Zombie and Vacant properties in the hands of individuals who are rehabbing these properties and returning them to the tax rolls. The Codes Office is busier than ever responding to the growing needs of the community. From inspections to blight, reviewing building plans and permits, the often-underappreciated Codes Department continues to deliver, making our community safer along the way.
Infrastructure was in high gear this past year with the paving of a staggering 17 city streets and the long-awaited Canisteo Street Bridge replacement was finally completed in November. 2022 will see continuing investments and upgrades to both the Water and Sewer Plants.
The highly successful BOCES program continues to breathe new life into our neighborhoods. The 11th BOCES house is currently under construction. This ranch style house, designed by Assistant Public Works Superintendent Ashley Brown, will include a two-car garage and be placed on Preston Avenue where the devasting fires of 2019 occurred. The addition of this house will help invigorate and revitalize the neighborhood.
The City was recently awarded a $491,000 grant to address housing rehabilitation in the City for qualified residents. On the heels of our last grant award of $500,000, these funds will have a significant and direct impact improving the quality of life for many Hornell residents.
As I begin my 2nd term as mayor, my administration is moving full throttle into 2022. After being delayed due to the pandemic, DRI projects are finally seeing movement. City officials are working with our State partners and will soon move into design and engineering of several municipal projects including Main Street and alleyway enhancements, improvements to the Community Arts Center, and the creation of a new pedestrian park in our beautiful downtown. Additionally, Veterans Memorial Park at James St will be receiving upwards of a half million-dollar refresh in the near future thanks in large part to a recent State grant.
The pandemic certainly slowed many things down over the past two years, but we have not and will not let it stop us from moving the City forward. While we have no shortage of difficulties and challenges in front of us, we also have much to celebrate and be thankful for. While many communities in the region struggle, the Maple City is growing and flourishing.
While things are looking up in Hornell, our State and Nation’s capitols are still deeply mired in partisanship and controversy with no end in sight. The 24-hour news cycle and social media seemingly work to pit everyday Americans against each other, continuously stroking the fires of division.
To my friends on the Council – Let us be better. Let us work effectively as a team and set a positive example to the people we serve. Let Hornell continue to be a beacon of light.
In closing, I’d like to share one of my favorite quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.
“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
Thank you and God bless.
John Buckley
Mayor
January 19, 2022
From Steuben Co Public Health: There has been a combined 1,030 new COVID positive tests reported since Friday’s update. Sadly, another resident has passed from COVID: a 76 year old Bath man. COVID vaccines and boosters remain the best protection against severe illness and death.
There are many upcoming COVID vaccine clinics, including the two in the images on Friday, January 21 and Monday, January 24. Register for one of our clinics at www.steubencony.org/covid or walk in during clinic hours. Other clinics can be found at www.vaccines.gov
January 19, 2022
CORNING, NY – In the wake of yet another denial by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide federal aid to individual local flooding victims, State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats), Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes (R,C-Caledonia), Assemblyman Joe Giglio (R,C-Olean), and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning) today once again called on New York Governor Kathy Hochul to immediately respond with badly needed state financial assistance.
In a joint statement, O’Mara, Byrnes, Giglio and Palmesano said, “At a time when the federal government is working to distribute trillions of dollars of federal aid for nearly everything under the sun, it’s hard to understand FEMA’s continued denial of Individual Assistance to help hard-hit Steuben County flooding victims recover and rebuild. It makes no sense, it’s wrong, and while we have worked closely with the Hochul administration to try to do everything possible to get it reversed, now it’s time for New York State to act. Families in Steuben County have been devastated and it’s unconscionable that our federal government would simply decide to turn its collective back and say ‘tough luck.’ It’s up to the state now to stand up, say ‘help is on the way,’ and provide the assistance that’s needed.”
FEMA initially denied Individual Assistance last September and, in a September 22, 2021 letter to the governor (see attached copy), the area legislators called on her to provide state assistance. At that time, Hochul immediately appealed the FEMA decision and began working with the local representatives to try to overturn it.
This week, however, FEMA rejected the state’s appeal.
In its denial, FEMA stated, “After thorough review of all the information contained in your initial request and appeal, we affirm our original findings that the impact to the individuals and households from this event was not of such severity and magnitude to warrant the designation of the Individual Assistance program under FEMA-4625-DR. Therefore, your appeal for Individual Assistance is denied.”
In a letter yesterday to Hochul following up on their correspondence to the governor last September, the area lawmakers once again called on the governor to immediately provide direct state assistance to Steuben County flooding victims. Specifically, they asked the governor to:
> authorize the state to fully assume the 12.5-percent local share of disaster-related costs; and
> provide direct state grants of $10,000-$25,000 help cover the costs of repairing and rebuilding for homeowners, and grants of $25,000-$50,000 for businesses.
In yesterday’s letter (see attached cop), O’Mara, Byrnes, Giglio, and Palmesano stressed that the state has provided this type of assistance to flooding victims following severe storms in recent years.
They wrote, “We also know that you are well aware, especially from your past experience as a local leader, how this type of historic flooding that destroys homes, businesses, personal property, roads, bridges, culverts, and other local infrastructure – not to mention the agricultural and environmental impacts — places enormous strain and stress on local communities, governments, individuals and families, farmers, and property taxpayers,” the area legislators wrote. “Consequently – especially in light of FEMA’s continued denial of Individual Assistance — we once again urge you to immediately make direct state aid and other assistance available to individual homeowners, businesses, farms, and the municipalities themselves. New York State has delivered aid for hard-hit communities in the recent past. It’s the right thing to do, the state clearly has the resources to do it, and we hope you will respond in kind for our communities now.”
January 19, 2022
The Alfred Village GOP Caucus was held last night, they nominated Meredith Field for village trustee, and Laurette Guild was nominated for village trustee.
The Arkport Village Republican Caucus will be held tonight at 7:00pm at the Village Hall’s Community Room. The Democrat’s Caucus is tomorrow at 7:00pm, it was also be held in the community room…
January 19, 2022
By Jasmine Willis
ARKPORT, NY — The village board ushered in the new year with mention of changes coming, grants and resolutions. The Arkport Village Board met on Jan 18 at 7 p.m. to talk about new business.
The USDA Rural Development Grant helped improve Main Street and East Avenue with new blacktop, concrete sidewalks, resurfacing and striping. This Main Street Grant has been received by the village board at the amount of $127,000. It helped immensely with the $187,000 project.
Adam Eason, Biggie’s Food Truck owner wishes to park his truck for the anniversary of Berry Vine Creations in March. The village board discussed him paying a $25 Vendors Fee. He would need to have insurance for the vehicle to ensure safety for the event.
Logan Sliter, Department of Public Works superintendent said the brand-new cemetery mower has 200 hours on it. The old 2019 cemetery mower has 240 hours on it. Sliter said the plowing and salting for this heavy storm is almost done. He has a little more left to do Wednesday. “Our Hometown Heroes Flags permits need to be in by March. We have 50 of them in so far. We can have up to 100 of them,” he said. “When people see them up, they want them.”
There was talk about not doing grass pickup anymore. Sliter said at the meeting this is the only municipality that provides this service. The grass pickup will be terminated and mention of this will be on the upcoming water bills. The village board said this service has been going on in the village for a long time, and sometimes the piles get to be two feet high. Arkport Mayor Thomas Dugo wants village residents to have plenty of notice to get a mulch mower for better quality this coming season.
Stiler said the contractors take advantage of this service and leave the pickup for the DPW instead of cleaning it up themselves. There have been occasions of trees being chopped down and debris left for the village to clean up afterwards. “We should leave an insert on the water bills that allow village residents to know we are no longer doing grass pickup. That way if they are looking into getting a new mower, they will know a mulcher is a good way to go,” Dugo said.
A cemetery maintenance worker is needed part-time. The village also requests a crossing guard and part-time cleaner for the village hall.
Arkport Treasurer Patricia Lupo gave a full report on the profits and losses for last month. The General Fund income was $3,028.53, and expenses were $21,145.69. Water Fund income was $7,794.08, and expenses were $57,175.07. There was no income or expense in the Capital Project Fund. Total expenses were $78,320.76.
The Republican Caucus is Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Village Community Room. The Democratic Caucus is Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Village Community Room.
Trustee Ryan Beers read Resolution 22-11 Approval of Election Inspectors. The village board is required by law to appoint inspectors for the upcoming March 15, 2022 Village Elections. The village board appointed Charles and Kathy Bill, Patricia White and James Pullman.
The village board will meet again on Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.
January 18, 2022
From Congressman Lee Zeldin:
“For New Yorkers, the hits keep on coming! Kathy Hochul is doubling down on the tax and spend, Albany-knows-best mindset that has failed New York for too long. Albany’s never-ending assault on the wallets of hardworking New Yorkers has been relentless and unsustainable. Hochul’s $216 billion budget demands New Yorkers dig deeper into their wallets. This is one of the primary reasons why New York leads the nation in population loss percentage and why every single day more and more New Yorkers hit their breaking point and flee the state for good.”
From Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes:
“Gov. Hochul presented her $216 billion 2022-23 Executive Budget today all in seventeen minutes. Despite the brevity, I was pleased that she addressed preparing the state’s operating reserves and spoke on the need to spend cash instead of further indebting future generations of New Yorkers. She also promised to make a significant investment in infrastructure. We know that potholes and bridges in disrepair are major concerns across our region. Like the governor, I hope to see these priorities in the final budget, along with tax relief. However, budget negotiations are just beginning. Time will tell how far downstate-driven interests influence the final budget agreement.”
From Assemblyman Phil Palmesano:
“The governor’s $216.3 billion Executive Budget is just the beginning of this process, and I look forward to the upcoming legislative budget hearings to more closely examine the proposal and get more specific details and answers regarding the governor’s spending priorities. One thing is for certain, we cannot adopt another bloated state budget like was advanced last year by Albany Democrats with their tax-and-spend policies. As inflation continues to take its toll on everything from gas and groceries to energy prices, and the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on our small businesses, this budget must address the everyday strain, concerns and needs of our state’s families, farmers, small businesses and manufacturers to help our state’s recovery by revitalizing our economy. Inflation is at the top of everyone’s minds right now, which is why the ‘Inflation Relief and Consumer Assistance Plan’ (A.8481) is such a key piece of legislation at this time that will help provide relief to New Yorkers by slashing sales tax for two years.
“Mandates from the governor, over-taxation, over-regulation and an unfriendly business environment are all hindering our state’s recovery. In her State of the State address, Gov. Hochul acknowledged the 300,000 New Yorker’s that left our state last year alone. Our state budget must re-instill confidence within New York families, farmers, small businesses and manufacturers. Simply put, our current course is unsustainable.
“Although Gov. Hochul discussed taxation and COVID relief for small businesses, the fact of the matter is the state has $9.4 billion in unemployment debt that needs to be paid back to the federal government. It is imperative that this debt not be totally passed down and put on the backs of our small business owners, manufacturers and farmers who have made countless sacrifices over the last two years. The state has record amounts of dollars from the federal government. In fact, we have a surplus of federal funds. These funds should be used to help cover the unemployment shortfall, as other states are doing, so business owners are not further crushed by increased unemployment insurance taxes. This assistance will provide critical relief to our job creators, helping to rebound and revitalize our state’s economy that was already so negatively impacted by COVID restrictions, closures and lockdowns.
“As I said in my response to the State of the State, the governor needs to make sure we have parity with our infrastructure investment spending to ensure a proper balance in our capital spending plans. We have heard a lot of talk around making improvements to downstate infrastructure, like the MTA system in New York City, which is important. On the same token, our upstate infrastructure, in particular funding for our local roads, bridges and culverts, through important programs like the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS), are in serious need of attention as well. Critical investments in our local infrastructure will help foster economic development, increase safety and ensure upstate taxpayers see some of their state tax dollars coming back into their communities here in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes Region. This has always been a priority of mine and one that I will continue to advocate for during the upcoming budget cycle.
“Finally, and most importantly, I have and will continue to fight for adequate and critical funding for one of New York’s most vulnerable groups, the developmentally disabled. This must be an absolute top priority for our state in this year’s state budget. COVID has taken a massive toll on their programs, services and quality of life, in addition to the dedicated direct-support professionals who are tasked with their care. Budgeting is all about priorities, and if we are not taking care of our most vulnerable citizens, what does that say about us as a state and our priorities.
“I welcome the opportunity to work with Gov. Hochul and my legislative colleagues in a bipartisan manner to address the concerns and needs facing New York families and businesses to push to advance a budget that is balanced, fair and equitable for all New Yorkers.”
From Senator George Borrello:
“As we begin 2022, Governor Hochul is leading a state that is struggling economically, ravaged by increases in violent crime and losing more residents than any other state in the nation. We urgently need a change in direction in order to save our state and safeguard its future.
“To that end, I am encouraged that the proposed budget doesn’t rely on new taxes or fees and includes some initiatives that would benefit middle-class taxpayers, including an acceleration of the historic income tax cuts authored by the former Senate Republican Majority and a $2.2 billion property tax rebate program.
“Small businesses, which have been the hardest hit segment of our economy throughout the pandemic, are still struggling to recover from their losses. While the Governor has proposed modest small business relief, the best way New York State could help is by directing billions in unspent federal aid to ease the crushing unemployment insurance tax rates the state has levied on small employers to replenish the depleted UI fund. It is not only unfair to ask small businesses to bear the burden of the government’s mistakes, it is stifling our economic recovery.
“Also of concern is the lack of robust investment to expand the ranks of state and local law enforcement personnel. The disastrous criminal justice reforms forced on our state by radical Democrats have made our cities and neighborhoods more dangerous than they have been in decades. The heightened risks of the job have spurred an exodus from the profession that has only exacerbated our public safety challenges. While repealing these policies remains our top priority and one we will pursue through legislation, budget support for this sector is also crucial.
“Governor Hochul hit the nail on the head when she acknowledged in today’s comments that the ‘pandemic did not create all the problems we face today.’ However, she failed to acknowledge the root cause: a dangerous combination of bad policy and bad politics.
“In the coming days, my Senate Republican colleagues and I will be reviewing the details of the Executive Budget and advancing our own plans aimed at supporting our “Take Back New York” initiative. New Yorkers deserve a state that is safer, stronger and more economically vibrant. Realizing that goal will be my focus this session.”
January 18, 2022
From The Governor’s Office:
Governor Hochul’s FY 2023 budget proposal reflects New York’s solid financial footing. As tax revenues rebound the budget is balanced for the entirety of the financial plan leading up to FY 2027, has no budget gaps, and holds spending growth in FY 2023 below inflation.
Rebuilding the Health Care Workforce
To restore our depleted healthcare workforce and build the healthcare system of tomorrow, Governor Hochul will make a more-than-$10 billion, multi-year investment in healthcare, including more than $4 billion to support wages and bonuses for healthcare workers. Key components of this multi-year investment include:
$1.2 billion of state support for healthcare and mental hygiene worker retention bonuses, with up to $3,000 bonuses going to full-time workers who remain in their positions for one year, and pro-rated bonuses for those working fewer hours;
$500 million for Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) to help raise wages for human services workers;
$2.4 billion for healthcare capital infrastructure and improved lab capacity; and
Other investments in workforce and healthcare access and delivery.
With these investments, Governor Hochul proposes to rebuild and grow the healthcare workforce by 20 percent over the next five years with a program designed to strengthen home care, improve the career pipeline, expand access to healthcare training and education, and recruit healthcare and direct support professionals to care for people in underserved areas.
Strengthening the Teacher Workforce
School Aid: The FY 2023 Executive Budget provides $31.3 billion in total School Aid for SY 2023, the highest level of State aid ever. This investment represents a year-to-year increase of $2.1 billion (7.1 percent) compared to School Year (SY) 2022, including a $1.6 billion Foundation Aid increase and a $466 million increase in all other School Aid programs.
Foundation Aid: Foundation Aid is the State’s main education operating aid formula. It is focused on allocating State funds equitably to all school districts, especially high-need districts, based on student need, community wealth, and regional cost differences. The Executive Budget provides a $1.6 billion (8.1 percent) increase in Foundation Aid, supporting the second year of the three-year phase-in of full funding of the current Foundation Aid formula and ensuring each school district receives a minimum year-to-year increase of 3 percent.
The Executive Budget provides SUNY and CUNY with $106 million – $53 million each – to hire additional full-time faculty at both four-year colleges and community colleges. This investment will fund an estimated 880 additional full-time faculty – 340 at SUNY and 540 at CUNY, including support for CUNY’s plan to convert adjuncts to full-time faculty.
Providing Tax Relief to Those Who Need It
Accelerate the Implementation of the Middle-Class Tax Cut: The eight-year phase-in of personal income tax cuts for middle-class taxpayers first began in Tax Year 2018 and is currently scheduled to be completed at the start of the 2025 Tax Year. The Executive Budget:
Accelerates tax relief to middle-class New Yorkers by providing the fully implemented reduced tax rates beginning in Tax Year 2023.
Provides relief to 6.1 million New Yorkers.
Create a Tax Credit for Small Businesses’ COVID-19-Related Expenses: To continue the State’s support for our small businesses, the Executive Budget includes a new capped refundable tax relief program targeting COVID-19-related expenses for small businesses. The program provides:
Up to $250 million in additional relief to small businesses.
Eligible COVID-19-related capital investments include, but are not limited to, costs associated with expanding space to accommodate social distancing, HVAC equipment, expenses related to outdoor space expansions, as well as machinery and equipment to facilitate contactless sales.
Provide Small Business Tax Relief: Small businesses were hit particularly hard by the pandemic downturn. The Executive Budget provides much needed tax relief to these businesses by:
Increasing the small business subtraction modification from 5 percent to 15 percent of net business income or farm income, and Expanding the benefit to include pass-through entities with less than $1.5 million NY-source gross income. This proposal will aid 195,000 small businesses through one of the most challenging business climates in modern history.
Provide a Homeowner Tax Rebate Credit: The Executive Budget creates a new property tax relief credit, the Homeowner Tax Rebate Credit, to eligible low- and middle-income households, as well as eligible senior households:
Basic STAR exemption and credit beneficiaries with incomes below $250,000 and Enhanced STAR recipients are eligible for the property tax rebate where the benefit is a percentage of the homeowners’ existing STAR benefit.
This one-year program is, in general, an extension of the real Property Tax Relief Credit Program that expired after 2019, with benefits calculated as a percentage of a homeowner’s STAR benefit. Additionally, homeowners in New York City will also be eligible for this credit.
Outside of New York City, the average benefit will be nearly $970, providing relief to more than 2 million property tax-paying households. The New York City average benefit will be about $425, with benefits reaching another 479,000 property tax-paying households.
For homeowners with income below $75,000 the statewide average credit is estimated at nearly $1,050, benefiting an estimated 837,800 recipients.
The benefit will be in the form of an advanced credit, instead of being claimed when tax returns are filed, thus getting benefits in the hands of New York homeowners more quickly. Credits will be an advance on Tax Year 2022 income tax returns, to be directly sent to eligible homeowners beginning in Fall 2022.
Capital Plan and Infrastructure
The new five-year, $32.8 billion DOT capital plan will leverage Federal funding commitments made in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to support final phases of major infrastructure projects, including Hunts Point Interstate Access Improvement and the replacement of I-81 in Syracuse.
The new plan also supports new large-scale projects, including: modernizing the Livingston Avenue Bridge in Albany; reconnecting neighborhoods across the Kensington Expressway in Buffalo; converting Route 17 to I-86 in Orange and Sullivan Counties; and assessing ways to improve road capacity at the Oakdale Merge in Suffolk County.
The Five-Year DOT Capital Plan also increases the existing BRIDGE-NY program by $1 billion, adds a new $1 billion Operation Pave Our Potholes program, and continues record commitments to funding local highway and bridge programs through the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS).
Child Care
Building on $832 million in existing subsidies and $2.3 billion in Federal child care resources, the Budget includes new investments to support children, parents, and the child care industry.
Increase Eligibility for Subsidies— child care subsidy eligibility will be increased from up to 200 percent of the Federal poverty level to up to 300 percent of the Federal poverty level over three years. Fully phased in, more than $535 million annually will allow an additional 400,000 children to become newly eligible.
Maintain Access to Child Care Providers— $125 million in funding annually is included to maintain child care subsidies when rates increase in 2022.
Support Child Care Workers—$75 million is invested in child care worker wages, an endorsement of the importance of their work.
Small Businesses
Governor Hochul is proposing a nearly billion-dollar plan focused on the State’s small businesses, including targeted programs to address small business needs and ensure all types of small businesses prosper throughout the State. Key components of this plan include:
Funding for Small Businesses of the Future – Capital and venture debt awards to emerging small businesses in the innovation sector, including minority-and-women-owned companies often overlooked by venture investments.
Seed Funding for Small Business – A $200 million flexible grant program for early-stage businesses recently opened despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Small Business Lending Initiative – Provide reduced interest rate and accessible loans to expanding small businesses.
SUNY and CUNY
$1.5 Billion for SUNY and CUNY: The Executive Budget will invest more than $300 million in SUNY and CUNY operations each year over the next five years. Governor Hochul also will partner over the next year with SUNY, its individual institutions, and key stakeholders to develop a plan to implement her vision to transform SUNY into the top statewide system of public higher education in the country. The Executive Budget will help start this transformation with funding for new engineering buildings to help the University at Buffalo and Stony Brook University become SUNY’s flagship institutions.
The Executive Budget will increase operating support to SUNY State-operated campuses and City University of New York (CUNY) senior colleges by fully reimbursing colleges for the $108.4 million cost of “Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Gap” tuition credits, providing additional State support of $59.6 million to CUNY and $48.8 million to SUNY. The university systems will also receive an $18.6 million in additional operating revenue from Executive Budget legislation to raise the amount of State support that campuses receive for Excelsior Scholarship recipients, increasing operating support by $13.7 million to SUNY State operated campuses, $2.8 million to CUNY senior colleges and $2.1 million to community colleges.
Expand Part-Time Students’ Access to TAP: The Executive Budget includes $150 million to expand TAP, which currently is largely unavailable for students studying part time, to cover students enrolled in six or more credits of study at a SUNY, CUNY, or not-for-profit independent college – an investment estimated to provide support to 75,000 additional New York students annually.
Energy and the Environment
Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act: The Executive Budget includes $4 billion for the landmark Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. This historic initiative will provide the support New York needs to restore critical environmental habitats; reduce flood risks; conserve additional lands and open spaces; protect and improve our water resources; and invest in climate change mitigation projects that will reduce pollution and lower carbon emissions. The Bond Act will also support a substantial investment in the Clean Green Schools initiative that will reach every public school located in a disadvantaged community.
Offshore Wind: The Executive Budget includes $500 million investment to develop the State’s offshore wind supply chains and port infrastructure. This nation-leading initiative will create 2,000 jobs in a growing industry, while helping to make New York the offshore wind capital of the country for years to come.
Housing
Launch a New Five-Year, $25 Billion Comprehensive Housing Plan. The Executive Budget advances a new $25 billion, five-year Housing Plan to create and preserve 100,000 affordable homes, including 10,000 homes with support services for vulnerable populations, and electrify an additional 50,000 homes as part of the State’s plan to electrify one million homes and make another one million electrification-ready. Funding includes $5.7 billion in capital resources, $8.8 billion in State and Federal tax credits and other federal allocations, $11 billion to support the operation of shelters and supportive housing units and to provide rental subsidies.
Combating Gun Violence
The Executive Budget includes $224 million to fund initiatives that will strengthen the gun violence prevention efforts of law enforcement and community-based organizations. Through these actions, we will work to restore New Yorkers’ sense of safety and community. Some of these actions include:
Triple Resources for Crime Gun Tracing Efforts – The Executive Budget provides $350,000 in funding to triple the state’s gun violence intelligence resources by staffing the New York State Intelligence Center (NYSIC) with a team of analysts necessary to process and investigate crime guns across the state.
Strengthen Law Enforcement Partnerships – The Executive Budget provides $13.1 million to expand the use of Community Stabilization Units that partner the most experienced State Troopers with local law enforcement agencies to combat community-specific crime problems.
Expand the State’s Direct Support to Local Law Enforcement (GIVE) – The Executive Budget increases funding to $18.2 million for New York’s nationally recognized Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative which supports local law enforcement efforts to stop the gun violence in New York. This investment will enable the launch of several new initiatives which will support law enforcement’s ability to clear non-fatal shooting cases, engage in youth-centered community programming, and reduce recidivism for individuals under community supervision.
Triple Investment in Community-Based Gun Violence Response (SNUG) – The Executive Budget sustains last year’s emergency increase in funding for New York’s SNUG Outreach program and further expand support to combat the spike in gun crimes. This investment of $24.9 million will expand hospital-based and street outreach programs to touch all corners of the state. It will facilitate the piloting of several new initiatives which provide wrap-around services for youth, job-readiness and work-placement training.
Respond to Regional Needs in the Aftermath of Gun Violence – The Executive Budget includes $20 million in new funding to support the people and places that have been most impacted by the spike in gun violence. This will allow the deployment of innovative community empowerment and crime-reduction programming in high-need areas that will facilitate the repairing and rebuilding of regions victimized by crime involving guns.
Addressing Addiction and the Opioid Crisis
Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) will take significant steps to address the opioid crisis by improving access to addiction treatment services, removing barriers to treatment, developing new and innovative treatment models, and expanding the number of treatment facilities in communities around New York State.
The Executive Budget provides an increase of $402 million (56 percent) in operating and capital support for OASAS to enhance prevention, treatment and recovery programs targeted toward addiction services, residential service opportunities, and primary prevention activities consistent with state opioid settlement agreements; and invests more than $100 million in new resources from the Opioid Stewardship Tax and litigation settlements with pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors. Of these funds, $113 million will pass through the State to local municipalities, consistent with settlement agreements.