Elizabethtown, NY, Jun 04, 2012 — On Saturday more than a hundred people rallied at the Horace Nye nursing home in Elizabethtown. Essex County supervisors may vote as early as tomorrow to privatize the home, as a cost-cutting measure. Opponents say the home is a vital service provided by the county.

As Brian Mann reports, counties across the North Country and across New York state have been scrambling to privatize care for the elderly.  Go to full article

Isle La Motte, VT, Mar 09, 2012 — Vermont's Champlain Islands are smack in the middle of Lake Champlain's northern end. Isle La Motte is the westernmost of those islands. It's isolated and rural. Living there, you might travel to New York State to see a doctor, or go to the grocery store.

But, Isle La Motte joins other towns across Vermont in town meeting day, when citizens come together to have their say on issues big and small. Sarah Harris spent town meeting day on the island and has our story.  Go to full article

Burlington, VT, Mar 06, 2012 — Town meeting day in Vermont is one of the few examples of direct democracy in our country. It's a state holiday, and townspeople turn out to elect municipal leaders and approve local budgets.

This year local issues at town meeting reflect national debates. In Franklin, Vermont, voters will determine whether prayer should be allowed at town meeting. And 52 towns will vote on whether to pass a constitutional amendment overturning the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United.

In Burlington, the state's largest city, Vermonters are headed to the polls to elect a new mayor. Sarah Harris has more.  Go to full article

Rensselaer, NY, Feb 15, 2012 — Ask just about any politician these days, and he'll likely tell you that a big part of his job is to create jobs. So how does the government do that? Here in New York, Industrial Development Agencies are one of main job creation mechanisms for local communities.

The Innovation Trail's Marie Cusick explains how these obscure economic development tools work, and just how much it can cost taxpayers when they don't work.  Go to full article

Jan 13, 2012 — More than fifty towns around New York inappropriately exceeded the state's property tax cap. That's according to the office of state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.  Go to full article

Jan 05, 2012 — During his state of the state speech, Governor Andrew Cuomo said it's time the state provided mandate relief to local governments.

This is welcomed news to many in the north country. But some are concerned it could be only a token gesture.

Julie Grant reports.  Go to full article

Rensselaer, NY, Apr 15, 2011 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo has put passage of a strict cap on local taxes at the top of his administration's agenda. His plan would limit school and local government property taxes to increases of 2 percent per year.

There's pushback, as schools and municipalities consider the consequences -- especially if the cap is not accompanied by a loosening of state mandates, as promised. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Feb 28, 2011 — Officials with the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department say their response times to emergencies could be hampered if the village of Saranac Lake cuts two firetruck and ambulance driver positions and eliminates the village's emergency dispatch center. Village officials say they're looking at all options for dealing with a pair of fire driver vacancies, and haven't made any decisions. Chris Knight reports.  Go to full article

Queensbury, NY, Jan 10, 2011 — It appears that state Sen. Betty Little will play a bigger role in this year's debates in Albany. On Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Little, a Republican, will join his newly created commission tasked with examining unfunded and underfunded mandates imposed by the state.

In a statement, Little said unfunded mandates approved by the state legislature "push the financial burden down to the lowest rung of the ladder."

She joins a group of industry, labor and government officials. The panel was established to identify solutions to ways to reduce local taxes by cutting the costs of state programs they're charged with providing.

Many local government leaders have said that cutting mandates, especially on health care programs, is their top priority in the next session.

A 2% limit on property tax increases was another of Gov. Cuomo's key campaign issues. That could hamstring local governments struggling to balance their own budgets. Local officials said they were happy to hear the property tax cap coupled with mandate reform, but that the devil would be in the details. Emma Jacobs has more for the Innovation Trail.  Go to full article

Rensselaer, NY, Jan 10, 2011 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo is wasting no time. From a wage freeze for public employees, to mandate relief and a property tax cap, he's moved on many of key campaign themes in just his first week in office.

He's also got a new/old legislature to work with. A Republican majority in the state Senate, but a familiar and powerful face at the head of the Assembly: Speaker Sheldon Silver. Susan Arbetter, host of WCNY's capitol Pressroom, is one of the Albany-based journalists who's watching all this closely. Martha Foley talked with her about the changing dynamic.  Go to full article