Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today announced that he has introduced legislation to revamp the Assistance and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM) formula, a large pool of state funding to help local governments undergo projects and conduct local operations of the government. Currently, about 90 percent of this funding goes to cities and Gov. Cuomo is requiring local governments to devise consolidations plans to receive the funding as part of this year’s budget.

“Unfunded mandates like Medicaid handed down by downstate politicians continue to strangle the budgets of our local governments and are the driving force behind high property taxes,” Hawley said. “This legislation would level the playing field for many small municipalities and help them receive their fair share of state funding. The AIM formula hasn’t been revised in a number of years and a more equitable formula would help our town, village and county governments reduce taxes and undergo projects like road and bridge repair. I am calling on Assembly leadership to bring this bill to the floor for a vote before be adjourn for the summer next month.”