ALBANY, New York (WWNY) – Governor Kathy Hochul’s budget for the coming year closes no more prisons.
Hochul’s press office responded to a question about prison closings Wednesday morning with one sentence: “There are no prison closures proposed in this year’s budget.”
That’s relief for the north country, which saw Watertown’s prison close in March 2021, and faces one of Ogdensburg’s two prisons closing this March.
The closings come as the state’s prison population has plummeted.
In all, six prisons across the state are closing in March , affecting 1,700 workers. No layoffs are expected.
There is still one more prison in Ogdensburg, as well as facilities in Cape Vincent and Gouverneur, and officials have worried those prisons could be targeted for closing as well.
Also in Hochul’s proposed 2023 budget:
– A variety of tax breaks, new and expanded, for farmers. One would increase the Investment Tax Credit – which encourages farmers to invest in their farms – from four percent to 20 percent. Another would double the “Farm Workforce Retention Credit,” used by farmers to offset the cost of higher minimum wages, to $1,200 per employee.
There’s also a variety of spending on agriculture.
“For promotion and research and development, in animal health programs, it’s probably the best we’ve seen in over a decade,” said Jeff Williams, Director of Public Policy for the New York State Farm Bureau.
“As far as government investment in agriculture, that’s great. And tax relief never hurts. So I think it’s a great start – one of the best starts we’ve seen in a long time.”
– The budget includes an extra $2.1 billion in aid for New York’s public schools. $1.6 billion of that will go to “foundation aid,” which is money that most helps less wealthy school districts. The increase is expected to benefit many north country school districts.
– One possible negative: a proposal to impose a sales tax on vacation home rentals. This is apparently aimed at companies like Airbnb and Vrbo, but it appeared Wednesday that it could have broader implications for the vacation rental market.
The budget is not without its critics, on the right and left.
“Certainly at $216 billion it is the second largest in the country, just behind California’s,” said Jerry Kassar, chairman of the state Conservative Party.
“It’s reflective of a political budget in an election year using the philosophy ‘the more you spend, the more you save,’ which would have caused her to fail out in home economics.”
Progressives found fault with Hochul’s budget cutting taxes for many, and largely avoiding raising taxes.
“There are no new tax increases on the wealthy proposed or a financial transactions tax on Wall St. Instead, Hochul proposes a tax cut. Given the surplus this is the time to seriously begin to address increases in social welfare, benefits, and income transfers necessary to decrease inequality,” said Gloria Mattera, state party co-chair of the Green Party.
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