Reduce Taxes with "Co-Star"
by Walt Johnson
Tioga County Legislator, District 4

 One of the more interesting proposals in Governor Pataki's 2005 budget speech was an item named "Co-STAR."

 To quote exactly from the Governor's speech (as found on the NYS web page) 
 "To be eligible for Co-STAR, counties must keep their overall spending growth at or below the Medicaid cap rate of 3.5 percent in 2006. Taxpayers in qualifying counties will receive a property tax rebate check, directly from the State of New York. The program will begin in 2006 for seniors and farmers and expand to all taxpayers in eligible counties beginning in 2008.

 "Co-STAR provides a double benefit to county and New York City taxpayers - their governments will be encouraged to control spending growth and lower future property taxes, and they will get property tax relief directly from the State as well."
 If this program is approved by the state legislature, the Tioga County Legislature must approve a property tax increase of less than 3.5% for 2006 or our seniors and farmers would loose their tax rebates.

 There are three challenges: (1) The New York State Legislature must vote this program into law. (2) The Tioga County Legislature must be willing to cap local property taxes at less than 3.5%.  (3) Convincing the "nay-sayers" who have already decided that "Co-STAR will never happen" and ""we can't possibly cut our county budgets any further" that change is possible."

 If the state is successful in capping Medicaid costs, I believe that the county can be ready for the possibility of Co-Star for the 2006 budget.

 This article was written to inform my constituents and represents only my opinions.