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Putnam Senate Candidate Wagner Unveils Property Tax Plan

PUTNAM COUNTY, N.Y. -- Putnam County State Senate candidate Justin Wagner has unveiled his plan to reduce the property tax burden in New York.

State Senate candidate Justin Wagner unveils his three point plan for property tax relief.

State Senate candidate Justin Wagner unveils his three point plan for property tax relief.

Photo Credit: Sam Barron
Justin Wagner's three point plan for property tax reform.

Justin Wagner's three point plan for property tax reform.

Photo Credit: Sam Barron

Wagner, who is running as a Democrat in the 40th district, unveiled his three point Wagner Tax Relief Plan earlier this week.

One of Wagner's ideas is a constitutional amendment blocking new unfunded state mandates. The amendment has also been sponsored by Senator Terry Gipson.

"It's the state that's been forcing our local government to raise taxes, by pushing down costs and imposing mandates," Wagner said. "My three-point plan will get the major cost drivers behind tax drivers under control. If the state has a good idea, it should pay for it."

Wagner said the amendment will ensure that property taxes will remain under control and that unfunded mandates prevent local governments from achieving any cost savings.

The amendment would create a new state council to rule on whether new state laws and rules create unfunded mandates for local governments.

Wagner's other two plans include having the state pay for medicaid rather than counties and providing relief to local municipalties for pension spikes. New York is one of only a few states that force costs on county government.

In 2012, counties had to pay $7.3 billion in Medicaid costs. 

“It makes no sense to have every county in the State, maintain its own county Medicaid bureaucracy,” said Wagner. “That’s 62 different county systems."

Wagner said the state should provide some relief for municipalities that often face unexpected pikes in pension costs. Many municipalities have have had to make adjustments to their budgets due to rapid increases in pension costs.                                      

“Local property taxpayers should not be hit with double-digit tax increases to make up for stock market downturns," Wagner said. "The state should take responsibility for smoothing out pension cost spike in the state-mandated, state-administered pension system. This will provide our local governments stability, ensuring both that pensioners are taken care of and providing relief to taxpayers.”

A spokesman for Terrence Murphy, who is running for the Republican nomination, said Wagner's plan is nothing new.

"Terrence Murphy has actually cut taxes in Yorktown not once but twice," T.J. McCormack said. "That hadn't happened in nearly a generation. Dr. Murphy has a record. Experience is what counts."

Charlie Banks, a spokesman for Bob Castelli, the other candidate for the Republican nomination, said Castelli knows how to get tax reform in Albany done.

"Assemblyman Castelli helped shepherd both a much-needed middle-class tax cut and a property tax cap through a hostile Legislature, two conservative agenda items that had been sitting idle for years," Banks said.  "Bob Castelli is the only candidate in this race who has shown that he can do it."

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