(Rochester, N.Y.) – Tired of high taxes?
A state commission has come up with dozens of solutions, many of which are sure to cause controversy.
The Buffalo News obtained a draft report of the State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness.
The report says local governments, including cities, counties, towns, and villages, should consider and be allowed to merge. It says the state education commissioner should be allowed to consolidate school districts. The report also recommends that local public workers pay more of their health insurance costs.
The commission found that New York state has more than 5,000 local government entities. Monroe County alone has the city of Rochester, 19 towns, 10 villages, and 18 school districts. There are also numerous fire and water districts.
Except for the Rochester City School District, all of these entities levy taxes.
"If you want to keep them, then don't complain about taxes," said Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy. "If you want to keep them, then do not complain. Just keep digging in your pockets, your checkbooks, every year, writing a bigger one, a bigger one, a bigger one. Don't complain."
The mayor said everything should be on the table for study, including school district consolidation.
This is not the first time Duffy has supported metro government. Yet, he has not taken any action, nor does he frequently talk about the issue publicly.
Duffy said he won’t be able to accomplish mergers alone. He expects major opposition from unions, politicians, and residents who may be swayed by "fear mongers."
"The political lines, the divisions are strangling Rochester and Monroe County," Duffy said. "It's about jobs, it's about turf. It's not about the people we serve. People need to come first."
"If you did it correctly, you still could maintain the charm and the different neighborhoods, but let’s start eliminating the duplication. We’re paying double, triple, quadruple, for the same kinds of services," Duffy said.
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks said the county is already doing many of the things the report recommends. She has long been on the record as not favoring metro government.
"There's a difference between a metro government conversation and a consolidation of services conversation, which really does save dollars," she said.
Duffy said, so far, talks between the city and county over consolidation water systems, civil service, and economic development have not produced results.
"The time has come either we are going to die financially or we're going to be taxed to death or Rochester and Monroe County takes its own destiny in its hands and has the courage to step forward," he said.
