What Now?
June 8th, 2009
The Associated Press is reporting that Senate Democrats are likely to challenge today’s chaos in court.
But any court proceeding would obviously delay any movement on the legislative measures Albany was supposed to be steering through in the last two weeks of their session this year.
That includes an increase in the sales tax and the taxing of clothing over $110 — both of which are integral to the city’s budget revenue package. Both of those proposals account for $637 million in revenue, which the Bloomberg administration had planned on using to plug a serious budget deficit.
This upheaval upstate could put those measures, which need state approval, in jeopardy. The city must have a budget by July 1.
Today’s events also throw the revision or extension of mayoral control up in the air. Senate Republicans are more likely to favor the extension of mayoral control, while Senate Democrats were looking to revise the policy.
UPDATE: Later this evening Bloomberg, expressed concern about the impact the shift could have on the city tax hikes. “I expect to have an on-time budget, but we have to have reasonable assurances that revenues will be there. And if this were to get held up, and I don’t know if that’s the case, this is hypothetical, we would not be facing anything that we’ve seen before. We would have to consult with the lawyers,” Bloomberg said, according to the Daily Politics
By Courtney Gross on June 8, 2009, 4:18 pmIn category: Albany, Economy, Electoral Politics, Eye on Albany, Gotham City, Governing, Law, Public Finance, nextNY | No Comments »
