Opposition Builds to Governor Hochul’s Part N Amendment

STAFF REPORT
OTSEGO COUNTY

In the days following the March 1 Otsego County Board of Representatives’ unanimous vote to send a letter of opposition to Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed amendment to the state’s Real Property Tax Law 575-b, known as Part N, town boards across the county have begun to act in similar fashion. Following the county board’s vote, Cooperstown-based environmental organization Otsego 2000 mailed a model resolution to all 24 Otsego County town supervisors, asking them to consider joining the opposition.

The response has been swift, and supportive. As of press time, six towns have adopted the resolution, with several more set to act at their monthly meetings.

“We are only aware of the actions of those towns who participate in the County Association of Town Supervisors meetings,” noted Dan Sullivan, Town of Richfield supervisor. “Several other boards may have passed the resolution without our knowledge.”

One step town boards should take, according to Keith Schue—an engineer from Cherry Valley who is active in the opposition to Part N—is to mail copies of the resolution to their Assembly and State Senate representatives, as well as to the governor’s office.

Opposition to Part N, which essentially removes assessment authority for large-scale renewable energy projects from local control and gives it to the state, has spread beyond Otsego County as well. Herkimer County is considering a resolution of opposition and, on March 17, the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved its own resolution of opposition to Part N. Further downstate, opposition to the governor’s budget largely takes on the Housing Compact, which is another attempt to thwart local control.

“From Article 10 to Cuomo’s 94-c to the Housing Compact to Part N, the pattern of attack on home rule is clear,” said Schue. “The time to act is now.”

One downstate supervisor put it this way: Do we want local control, or Hochul control?