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Dunkirk: Banking on more aid from state

There is much not to like in state Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s recent budget proposal and State of the State message, especially from a county that supported his opponent Marc Molinaro last election. However, there was some bright news for the city.

During his January address, the governor indicated the support he has shown in the past for the Dunkirk government and its school system will continue now that NRG Energy Inc. has abandoned its plant on the waterfront.

“We have communities that are closing old, inefficient power plants,” he said during the address. “It causes a problem because they lose the property taxes from those old plants. We want those old plants closed, we want more efficient plants, but let’s provide a fund that gives the communities the transition from the loss of that property tax revenue and that’s a $70 million property tax compensation fund so those communities don’t shoulder the burden themselves.”

City government and the school district were receiving a little more than $4.5 million combined in transition aid in recent years. The fact that’s going to continue will ease some of the pain.

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