ELIZABETHTOWN — Essex County is still hoping for a higher sales tax.
The County Board of Supervisors has so far been unsuccessful in getting the State Legislature to act on a request for an extra one-quarter percent.
But Essex County lawmakers may get to add up to a full 1 percent extra instead, if currently pending bills pass and are signed by Gov. Andy Cuomo.
So the county is throwing its support behind those bills, which would allow any county to set its own sales tax, up to 4 3/4 percent.
Essex County is now at 3 3/4 percent, while the state collects a 4 percent sales tax statewide.
County Attorney Daniel Manning III said the bills pending in the Assembly and Senate would allow counties to have a combined state and local sales tax up to 8 3/4 percent.
“It would be an increase of a percentage point over what we have. That bill allows for any counties and cities across the state to pass a resolution to get the (tax).”
UNANIMOUS VOTE
At a recent meeting, Supervisor Thomas Scozzafava (R-Moriah) said they should endorse the statewide sales-tax increase authorization, instead of specific Home Rule legislation just for Essex County.
“I talked to Senator (Betty) Little, and she does support it (the one-quarter percent bill), but she did tell me that she did not think it would ever make it out of the Senate. I think we have a much better shot doing this with everybody, (rather) than trying to go out there alone.”
The problem is that the Legislature will soon take its summer recess, Supervisor Daniel Connell (D-Westport) said.
“If we could get a bunch of counties together to support this, we might have a chance with this, but probably not this term. Our intent is to ask the State Legislature to move those bills through that will allow counties to determine what their sales tax would be.”
The 18-member board voted unanimously to support the bills allowing New York state counties to establish sales-tax rates.
Essex County has been trying unsuccessfully for the last two years to increase its sales tax by one-quarter percent, as the Legislature has not passed any of the Home Rule bills required to allow that to happen. Most surrounding counties took the option to increase their sales tax by 1 percent several years ago, but Essex County chose only 3/4 percent before the option expired.
Email Lohr McKinstry:
lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com
Source: pressrepublican.com
South Foreland Lighthouse is 'brightest' Jubilee Beacon - BBC News
A lighthouse, which used to warn ships away from a treacherous stretch of the Kent coast, is being lit for the first time in more than 20 years to celebrate the Queen's 60-year reign.
The South Foreland Lighthouse is representing St Margarets-at-Cliffe in the chain of more than 4,000 Diamond Jubilee Beacons which are being lit on Monday.
The National Trust, which owns the lighthouse, said it would be the largest and the brightest of the beacons, with its beam able to reach almost 40 miles.
John Barker, who helps manage the lighthouse and suggested it be turned back on for the Jubilee, said: "It's remembered quite fondly by mariners. It's not that big but it's on 300ft (91.4m) cliffs so it was the highest light in England and Wales.
Historical importance"It has an important history, it was the first electric lighthouse, Faraday came here and Marconi came here."
The National Trust said records showed a light was first installed at South Foreland in 1367.
It warned ships of the Goodwin Sands, notorious large sandbanks off the east Kent coast known as the "great ship swallower".
Mr Barker said: "It was a really treacherous stretch of water, there are about 1,500 wrecks on the Goodwin Sands."
He said during low tide ships could run aground on the sandbanks which would then turn to quicksand in the rising tide, sucking in the stricken vessels.
The current building was erected by Trinity House in 1843 and was originally one of a pair at the location, both showing a static light.
Victorian mechanismThe lower light was decommissioned 61 years later and the upper light was converted to a rotating optic or flashing light.
The original Victorian clockwork mechanism remains at the lighthouse and will be wound by hand every hour during the night of the Diamond Jubilee Beacons.
Mr Barker said when GPS became a legal requirement for ships the lighthouse became defunct.
It will be active for the first time since 1988 from 10:01 BST on Monday until 07:00 the following day.
Local residents have been issued tickets to visit the lighthouse while it is part of the Jubilee Beacons event.
A warning message is being sent out by the coastguard to all shipping in the area to ignore the South Foreland Lighthouse while it is alight for the Diamond Jubilee.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment