On Tuesday, May 15th, New Yorkers across the state are going to the polls to vote on school budgets and elect school board members for the 2012-13 academic year.

This year more than ever, your vote will really count!

In the past, voters were presented with a school budget which if voted down, usually resulted in a contingency budget that would also increase taxes. There was not much of a reason to vote if when an increase was rejected, they would implement a contingency budget with an increase! Our votes did not count for much.

But starting this year – the rules have changed. New York passed a property tax cap law.

How does the tax cap work?

Local governments across the state are calling on Albany to remove the costly mandates strapping county, town, and school district budgets and burdening residents with some of the highest property taxes in the nation.

State legislators for years have passed statutes and regulations onto local governments and school boards eating up large parts of their budgets and causing property taxes to increase to unbearable levels. By the state mandating these laws, it takes away local control from those who know best for their community and its needs.

Mandate relief is needed. Citizens and organizations are making efforts to tell Albany to act now! Our friends at Best4NY have started a grassroots effort petitioning state legislators and Governor Cuomo to deliver mandate relief this session.

Click here to sign the petition!

The New York State Assembly is attempting to kill jobs once again in our state. Speaker Sheldon Silver is seeking to increase the state’s minimum wage to $8.50 and then link it to inflation. Though Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R) has come out against this, some Republicans are still on the fence and Governor Cuomo has indicated that he is willing to compromise on this issue.

As Empire Center for NYS Policy Senior Fellow, Russell Sykes points out in his article in the New York Post, a higher minimum wage would not help the working poor and would harm the economy.