Politics & Government

Bills to Benefit New Rochelle Introduced in Albany

The bills would give New Rochelle the ability to raise revenue.

Two items on New Rochelle's legislative wish list are working their ways through Albany.

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, filed A02191, which was co-sponsored by Assemblyman Steve Otis, D-Rye. If passed, the bill would give New Rochelle the option of increasing its utility gross receipts tax, which is currently capped at 1 percent.

The legislation would add New Rochelle to the list of cities—Rochester, Buffalo and Yonkers—that can impose up to a 3 percent tax to energy, water, telephone and other utility service bills. The tax is paid by utility providers and passed along to its customers.

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The other legislation was submitted by George Latimer, D-Harrison.

He sponsored a bill that would extend New Rochelle's ability to impose an additional 1 percent local sales tax rate. 

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Latimer said he expects the bill to pass.

"If it were not to pass," he said, "it would represent a big loss of revenue to the city"—about $10 million annually.

Latimer said most communities are looking for alternate ways of increasing revenue.

"The cost of doing business year over year increases," he said, "and people do not want to pay any more property taxes. Who want to advocate cutting cops and firefighters?"

Other items in the city's 2013 Legislative Program include distributing the cost of fire hydrant maintenance and access to all water ratepayers, providing a state retirement incentive for local employees and reducing pension contribution rates.

The city is exploring whether or not any intersections might qualify for the installation of traffic signal cameras before it pursues state legislation.

One item originally requested—the local real estate transfer tax of 1 percent—was not included in the final version.


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