| All-County Taypayers Association | "The
price of freedom is eternal vigilance... |
THE PEOPLE HAVE PROHIBITED IT We the people, by the clear language of our NY Constitution, have prohibited the State Legislature from enacting laws which affect the property, affairs or government of one, two or more but not all counties or towns of the State unless 2/3 of the members of the affected local governing boards pass a home rule resolution requesting the State Legislature to act or unless the governor submits a message of necessity along with his request for the legislation. We the people have also prohibited the use of county funds to pay the debt obligations of a public corporation. Government, however, doesn’t like to be restrained by the people. It likes to spend money and wield power. Without a local home rule message and without a message of necessity from the Governor, the State Legislature passed a law authorizing Washington County to contract with the County’s IDA for the construction and financing of a garbage incinerator, without competitive bidding and to use the County’s property tax revenues, if necessary, to make the payment. The IDA eventually issued $105 million in long-term bonds and contracted with the Foster Wheeler Corp. to design, build and operate the facility. Washington and Warren Counties agreed to pay a yearly fee for twenty years, which fee included the annual debt service, the cost of operating and maintaining the facility and a guaranteed profit for Foster Wheeler. The debt service amounts to about $10 million per year, or $200 million. At the end of the 20 year debt period, the IDA is to give the plant to Foster Wheeler, for free. On June 12, 1998, ACTA people brought the matter to the judiciary. * Click here * to see a copy of our complaint filed in State Supreme Court. |