Mr. Bruno yesterday joined the Democratic speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver, in opposing Mr. Paterson’s plan to impose a strict limit on how much districts outside New York City can raise property taxes each year.

During a press conference with Mr. Paterson, Mr. Smith, and other legislative leaders, who took a break from end-of-session negotiations to give an update on their lack of progress, Mr. Bruno criticized the governor’s bill as phony relief for homeowners and said he wouldn’t introduce it on the floor.

Instead, Mr. Bruno promoted an alternative plan that would “phase out” local property taxes by shifting billions of dollars in school costs to the state. Mr. Bruno has not said how the state would pay for it, and Assembly Democrats have refused to acknowledge its existence, let alone debate it.

I have copied his letter below.

An Open Letter to Assemblywoman Galef

Reprinted at the Request of the Writer

Dear Mrs. Galef

Too much is at stake to allow the assembly to continue to do business as usual. In these times of economic pain the people expect more from their elected representatives. It is an affront and an act of extreme cynicism to deliberately delay the release of the report of the
New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief so that the State Assembly could let yet another year go by without bringing legislation to a vote that would cap property taxes.

Even more appalling however, was the testimony that you received on June 2nd, 2008, from the New York State Assoc. of Counties, which shockingly disclosed that people who are delinquent in paying their property taxes received tax rebate checks from the State Legislature in 2007. Counties paid an astonishing $353 million to these tax delinquents. At a time when New York is in financial duress the legislature must immediately act to fix this outrageous situation. I am calling upon you, as the Chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Real Property Taxation, to see to it that the assembly does not take its summer recess until it passes legislation that ends this irresponsible abuse. I further urge that you insist that the assembly vote on the recommendations made by the Suozzi Commission before it adjourns.

The information that has been brought to your attention places a moral and perhaps a legal imperative for the legislature to act before another cent of taxpayer money is squandered.

Sincerely,
William J. Gouldman