Shortly after midnight, the New York State Assembly passed an omnibus bill that clears up a logjam of legislative initiatives legislators had been wrangling over and which threatened funding for municipal governments, including Genesee County, the City of Batavia and the towns and villages.
This morning County Manager Jay Gsell said the passage of the bill was a good start.
It still needs to pass the Senate, which is expected to return to session today to take up the bill.
Local governments were in danger of losing as much as $8 million in revenue without an extension of a portion of sales tax charged in the county. The state charges a 4-percent sales tax. The county has permanent authority to charge 3 percent, but the next 1 percent must be periodically renewed by state legislation. Typically, it's been automatically renewed every two years, but this year it was held up when the extender legislation was wrapped into legislation to also extend mayoral authority over schools in New York City.
The omnibus bill extends the sales tax for three years.
It also authorizes the naming of a new multibillion-dollar bridge spanning the Hudson River after Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, father of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The bill also provides $50 million in relief for victims of Lake Ontario flooding.
