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Assemblywoman Galef Sets Forth 2008 Priorities
To the Editor:
After working hard for years on critical issues facing the 90th Assembly District as well as New York State, I was very pleased to hear many of my priorities for 2008 echoed in Governor Spitzer's State of the State message.
Currently, property taxes are spiraling out of control. That's why, as chairperson of the Assembly Real Property Tax committee, I introduced legislation calling for a Blue Ribbon Commission of experts to come up with solutions for alternative school funding mechanisms. One possible solution, similar to the fix in place in Massachusetts, caps taxes but allows school districts to override the cap for high need items. I also introduced a middle-class circuit breaker bill to help those most acutely impacted by property tax increases.
Governor Spitzer proposed a similar bipartisan commission to offer recommendations that look at root causes of high taxes, make tax relief fairer for middle class taxpayers, and offer a fair and effective cap to school property taxes. I will continue to work with this commission and support property tax relief.
My commitment to help constituents rein in costs also aligns with energy savings in my Smart Meter bills, another priority Governor Spitzer highlighted. Smart metering allows homeowners to control utility costs with an in-home monitor that displays minute-by-minute costs of energy based on demand. This reduces costs and helps households cut back overall energy consumption, specifically at high-cost, high demand times. It mitigates potential overflow on the utility's grid, and helps the environment.
I have and will continue to push for consolidation of government and shared services between school districts, municipalities, county and state government. Surely, in this time of economic hardship we can do better at reducing overlap and streamlining processes.
My work on children's health and wellness, education and government reform are renewed priorities, which the Governor supported in his message.
Please join me at my upcoming town meetings, call my office, and/or respond to my newsletter survey to let me know how we can partner. Together, we can maintain and improve the quality of life we've come to expect in New York State.
Sandy Galef
Assemblywoman 90th
Assembly District
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