The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) has sent a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo and Lt. Governor Robert Duffy calling on them to reinstate the Tug Hill Commission and treat it like every other agency, commission, and task force in the State that is subject to the 10% reduction in General Fund appropriation.

The letter asks that the Commission go under the review of the recently established Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission in  order to share with all New Yorkers how the Tug Hill Commission programs and services “best demonstrate their value to taxpayers.”

The Commission’s funding has been removed from the proposed FY2011-2012 Executive Budget, jeopardizing the Commission’s work in the 62 towns and villages it serves.

The letter, signed by ANCA’s President and Executive Director, and co-signed by over 200 leaders from government, businesses, non-profits and citizenry from across the entire North Country, praises the Commission’s 38-year track record, testified to by the many communities it serves. The letter applauds the Governor’s commitment to the State’s natural resources through preservation of the Environmental Protection Fund, yet expresses concern that there is not a comparable commitment to the communities that play a critical role in protecting and managing those natural resources, such as those served by the Tug Hill Commission.

“Throughout the Adirondack North Country, local governments have increasingly become leaders and partners in land use and economic development planning. To eliminate such an important technical resource as the State’s Tug Hill Commission will directly undermine the environmental quality and future economic vitality of a major portion of the ANCA region. This budgetary decision is very shortsighted,” said Steve Erman, ANCA Board President.

“The State needs to be an advocate and supporter for organizations that offer innovative, ‘boots on the ground’ resources for rural areas, especially as State budgets are being cut and communities have to do more with less. The Tug Hill Commission is a superb model for how a single organization can provide on-the-ground technical assistance for rural communities that do not themselves have capacity for planning, grants procurement, or natural resource management,” said Kate Fish, Executive Director of ANCA.