Monthly Archives: August 2011

Lawmakers get a base salary of $79,500 plus stipends of $165 for every day they spend at the Capitol, but some have done more legislating from Albany than others this year, a review of state records shows.

In the Assembly, seven legislators were absent for 10 or more of the 60 session days held between January and June. Two of them tied for being out the most — 22 days: Gary Finch, R-Union Springs, Cayuga County, and Thomas Kirwan, R-Newburgh, Orange County. Assemblyman William Boyland, D-Brooklyn, missed 20 days.

The senator with the most absences, out 14 of the 64 session days, or 22 percent, was Sen. Thomas Duane, D-Manhattan, because of hip-replacement surgery. Three other senators were out for 10 or more days. Of the 11 senators who had four or more absences, only two were Republicans — Patrick Gallivan of Depew, Erie County, and Owen Johnson of Suffolk County, who had four each.

While there are valid reasons not to attend a session, such as illness, family emergencies and an occasional outside work commitment, people who elect lawmakers anticipate they will be in Albany to represent constituents, said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause/NY.

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The state’s property tax cap will limit the growth in taxes to 2 percent for schools and local governments in 2012, the state Comptroller Office’s confirmed today.

The cap, signed into law in June, restricts the growth in the tax levy to 2 percent a year or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. But according to Consumer Price Index figures used by the Comptroller’s Office, the rate of inflation is slightly more than 2 percent—so the cap amount will, in fact, be 2 percent.

This year, according to CPI estimates, the growth in property taxes would have been limited to about 1.6 percent.

The specific percentage has been eagerly anticipated by schools and local governments. They haven’t been sure how the state would calculate the rate of inflation and whether it would fall below 2 percent, making that cap even that much more restrictive.

The cap takes effect Jan. 1 for local governments and July 1 for schools, which is the start of the next school year.

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A state panel today recommended phasing in a 27 percent pay raise for state judges over the next three years, which would give them their first salary increase in 12 years.

Under the state Special Commission on Judicial Pay’s plan, which will formally be released Monday, state Supreme Court judges will have their annual pay bumped up to $160,000 in April 2012, with $7,000 raises to follow in each of the following two years.

That salary would put them in line in 2014 with federal district court judges, who make $174,000 annually. State Supreme Court judges currently earn $136,700.

Other judges in the state courts system, such as county court judges, whose salaries range from $119,800 to $136,700, would see their salaries rise by the same percentage increase over the three years.

The commission approved the proposal by a 4-3 vote in a meeting in New York City today. The recommendations will be law unless the state Legislature decides to overturn the raises.

The new salaries would take effect April 1.

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