Discussion brief: Governing within the Tax Cap

For the past year, our conversation about public finance in New York has been dominated by the 2 percent tax cap. That’s why Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress decided to survey a select number of Hudson Valley communities to determine how the cap affected them. How has the cap changed our local governments? What challenges lie ahead and what lessons have been learned? Pattern asked these questions and more to local governments in Orange and Rockland counties. Pattern chose to examine these counties because their county government finances appear to be headed in opposite directions – Orange standing on solid financial ground, and Rockland slipping toward crisis.

The results, along with additional information about the plight of cities, school districts, and the importance of long-term financial planning, can be found in the discussion brief below. 

A copy of the discussion brief, "Governing within the Tax Cap," can be downloaded by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.