Propose income tax for school costs

By DAVID HULSE

GLEN SPEY, NY — Approving a resolution that will circulate through all 15 towns this month, the Lumberland Town Board on June 8 asked state legislators to consider replacing local property tax support of public education costs with state income tax money.

Supervisor John LiGreci, who also chairs the county supervisors association, said the county’s supervisors have all agreed to support the resolution.

State Senator John Bonacic said he has pending legislation that meets the resolution’s requirements and will hold public hearings on the bill around the state this summer. “To this point, there have not been enough upstate public officials talking about this kind of tax reform to make it a priority in the legislature,” he said.

Would downstate renters and the Democratic majority in the Assembly buy into the bill? “It’s all part of horse trading. Something will come up that they want, like a new stadium for the Olympics. That’s how things get done,” he said.