Adirondack Park Regional Assessment Report Released

A long-awaited report that profiles all the 103 municipalities that comprise the Adirondack Park was released today by the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages (AATV), one of the leading sponsors of the study.

The report-the result of a two-year research effort by and for the communities of the park-is intended to provide a data-rich, factual baseline for discussion and planning of park issues at both the local and regional levels.    The assessment employs a modular format detailing community life, government operations, land use, infrastructure, emergency services, education and park-wide demographics.  A computer disc containing individual community profiles is included.  Soon, an "Access" formatted CD will be available offering substantial information on both a community and park-wide basis.

The project began in 2007 when the AATV partnered with the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) and the Towns of Arietta and Chester to secure funding through the NYS Department of State Quality Communities Grant Program.  Individual municipal contributions in addition to donations from Stewart's Shops and the Arrow Financial Corporation made it possible to extend the research in certain critical areas.

Brian Towers, President of AATV, called the study "the foundation for sustainable planning of the region's diverse communities.  This report represents an extraordinary collection of important, factual information about every Adirondack town and village that hopefully will be used in developing a vision to address the long range needs of our residents."

Terry Martino, Executive Director of ANCA, remarked that the report will greatly benefit the park's communities, both individually and collectively.  She said, "ANCA welcomed the opportunity to participate in regional research which profiles our Adirondack Park communities.  The study results provide a solid foundation for the future community and economic development planning that ANCA believes will be an important next step."

Many in-park trends differ from the rest of New York State, even in other rural areas, according to the study.  It also documents that while two-thirds of all state-owned lands in New York are in the Adirondack Park, nearly all are concentrated in fewer than half of the park's municipalities.  Additionally, about forty percent of the residential properties within the ‘Blue Line' are owned by individuals who live outside the park, constituting half of the total residential property value of the park, the project researchers found.

Brad Dake, Chairman of the Project Steering Committee, praised the eighty-five communities that participated in the survey portion of the study.  He had similar praise for the research team, led by the LA Group of Saratoga Springs.  Dake said "The reward of any research is not to confirm the expected, but to reveal the unconsidered."

The Siena Research Institute, the Center for Government Research, the Technical Assistance Center of SUNY-Plattsburgh aided in the study, along with numerous county, state and federal agencies.

Printed copies of the complete report and computer disc of all individual municipal profiles will be distributed to Adirondack town, village and legislative leaders within the next few days.  The report's Executive Summary is accessible on-line at the AATV website at www.aatvny.org,   where additional report copies and related CD materials also can be requested.  The Executive Summary also can be seen on-line at ANCA by visiting www.adirondack.org.

ADIRONDACK TAX CHANGES FOUGHT

The Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, NY)
1/15/09, Web site

 Click here to see story on original Web site

 By: Tom Wanamaker, Times Albany Correspondent

 ALBANY - Municipal officials and nonprofit groups in the Adirondacks are ramping up their campaign against a proposal to cap state tax payments to local governments on Forest Preserve lands.

 In his executive budget, Gov. David A. Paterson proposed changes to Section 544 of New York's real property tax law that would permanently cap the taxes paid on state-owned land in the Adirondack and Catskill parks.

 A cap also would be placed on taxes for lands subsequently acquired for addition to the Forest Preserve.

 The tradition of property tax payments by the state to local governments dates from 1886, when the Adirondack Park was created. The state agreed to pay local property taxes on state-owned land within the park in order to protect the local tax bases.

 Scott Lorey, legislative director for the Adirondack Council, testified Tuesday at a public hearing on the budget and environmental conservation before the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committees.

 He said it would be "crushing to the local tax systems" to freeze state tax payments in small-population municipalities where three-quarters of the land base is state owned.

 "At a time when the state is working on several major deals to buy more land and add it to the Forest Preserve, a cap of tax payments would serve as an unfunded mandate on communities that are already burdened by state actions," Mr. Lorey testified. "Many of these same towns have large tracts of privately owned timber lands which are enrolled in state timber tax abatement programs, meaning the landowners receive up to an 80 percent tax break, which the state only reimburses a small portion of the loss."

 In a statement issued Wednesday, the Residents Committee to Protect the Adirondacks expressed its "strongest opposition" to the proposal.

 "These changes will generate little short-term savings for the state; however, they permanently alter the relationship between the state and Adirondack communities in a way that will eventually do great fiscal harm to these communities by disproportionately shifting more of the burden for services onto local tax payers," RCPA said. "Moreover they provide a powerful disincentive to local residents and governments to cooperate in adding additional lands to the Forest Preserve."

 Michael Washburn, RCPA's executive director, said the state should continue to pay the taxes.

 "This approach will cost New Yorkers in the long-term by weakening the conservation efforts the state has made over the past century," Mr. Washburn said. "Our residents pay their fair share, so should the largest landowner."

 The Common Ground Alliance, a grass roots group of "more than 100 local officials and leaders" sent a letter to Gov. Paterson on Jan. 8 protesting his proposal. The letter detailed basically the same concerns outlined by Mr. Lorey and Mr. Washburn.

 But CGA also mentioned the Dillenburg vs. New York case in which a state court of appeals in Rochester overturned a challenge to the 1886 law.

 In October, a four-judge panel ruled unanimously that the Legislature had legally waived state sovereign immunity in regard to being taxed by municipalities.

 A north country senator also testified at Tuesday's joint public hearing.

 "This is a bad idea and would set a terrible precedent," said Sen. Elizabeth O'C. Little, R-Queensbury, in a Tuesday press release.

 "The state has an obligation to pay these taxes on behalf of all New Yorkers who benefit because an Adirondack Park exists. Everyone recognizes the severity of the state's fiscal crisis, but this proposal isn't calling for a shared sacrifice. It's calling for an unfair sacrifice to be made by Adirondack private property owners, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet."

 In all, the proposal could affect $70 million in annual tax payments to 92 towns and 12 villages in the Adirondack Park. In the Catskill Park, the state pays approximately $30 million annually on 288,000 acres of land.

 Today is the deadline for Gov. Paterson to offer 30-day amendments to his executive budget proposal, which he delivered Dec. 16.

DEC OPENS ADIRONDACK SMART GROWTH APPLICATIONS

$1 Million Available for Municipalities

            New York State has opened up the application process for $1 million in grants to Adirondack Park communities, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis announced today. An official Request for Application (RFA) has been mailed to more than 100 units of local governments in the Park and has been posted on the DEC website (www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/37874.html ).

            The new Adirondack Park Community Smart Growth Program is geared at helping Park communities develop plans that foster sustainable development, environmental protection and community livability. DEC will be assisted by the Department of State and the Adirondack Park Agency in the implementation of the program.

            "The Adirondack Park is America's largest, and one of the oldest, state parks in the country, a mosaic of public and private lands. It also is the home of 130,000 permanent residents, more than 115 municipal governments and dozens of hamlets that help define the character and culture of the park," Grannis said. "The continued protection of the Park starts with the protection of its communities and residents - and this grant program will help provide the financial resources they need to invest in planning for their future."

            Grannis had announced the launch of the program in July. The rapid completion of the formal application "reflected my commitment to get this grant process ready to go as soon as possible," the commissioner added. DEC has now finalized the application process and guidelines, including the following grant categories:

•n    Village, Hamlet and Town Center Revitalization.

•n    Sustainable Economic Development.

•n    Cultural, Environmental and Natural Adirondack Resources.

            The deadline for applications is Nov. 15. The Department anticipates announcing grant awards in January.

            A series of workshops have been scheduled, with the assistance of the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages, to brief potential municipal government applicants on the grant program. (The schedule is detailed below.)         

            Parties can apply for local, regional or Park-wide planning grants geared at addressing the special conditions of the Adirondack Park. Municipal- and local-government applicants are encouraged to work with higher education institutions and non-profit organizations with expertise in park-related matters. Awards, covering 100 percent of project costs, will be made on a competitive basis.

            The Adirondack Park Community Smart Growth Program is modeled after the national "smart growth" movement, which promotes strategic planning to achieve growth that balances the need for economic development with protection of the natural and built environment. Governor Eliot Spitzer provided $2 million in the 2007-8 state budget for ``Smart Growth Funds'' and earmarked half to go to Adirondack Park communities.

            "We are committed to working with local officials and other stakeholders in the Park to improve the economy and community livability in the Park and its many hamlets, villages and town centers," Grannis said.         

            Local officials expressed support for the initiative.

            "Planning for the future is an important responsibility of any municipality, including those within the Adirondack Park," said Senator Betty Little, R-Queensbury.   "Our Adirondack local governments face some unique challenges. With very limited tax bases, they sometimes lack the resources needed to turn good planning ideas into reality.  This program makes available a new source of funding to help our Adirondack communities and the people they serve. I am hopeful many will seize the opportunity by applying this fall and I appreciate Commissioner Pete Grannis' and the DEC's initiative in making this funding available."

            The Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages encouraged communities to apply.

            "We are looking forward to working with the Department to present these workshops around the Park that will provide the attendees with the tools needed to make good strong application for smart growth grants," said Association President J.R. Risley, Inlet town supervisor. "The funding available to communities within the Adirondacks can be used to take a hard look at current issues that each town, village and county might be experiencing. It can also be used to look in to the future and plan for what will be the best for their unique situation."

    Adirondack Park Community Smart Growth Grants Program Public Workshops

Date                            Location                                              Time 

            Sept. 25                       SUNY ESF Ranger School                  4 to 6:00 PM         

                                                257 Ranger School Road   

                                               Wanakena, NY 13695

            Sept. 27                       NYS DEC Regional Headquarters     4 to 6:00 PM                                                                                   

                                                1115 State Route 86                           

                                                Main Conference Room                                            

                                                Ray Brook, NY 12977         

            Oct. 3                          NYS DEC Warrensburg Office            4 to 6:00 PM    

                                                Conference Room                                                    

232 Golf Course Road                                                                         

Warrensburg, NY 12885             

            Oct. 4                         Adirondack Museum at Blue Mt. Lake    4 to 6:00 PM   

                                                Auditorium (left of driveway)                                                    

                                                Routes 28N & 30                                                   

                                                Blue Mt. Lake, NY 12812