FAIR fight heads to court

The fight over whether Monroe County's "FAIR" plan really is fair finally had it's day in court today. However, the judge in the case, State Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Fisher says it will be sometime next week before he issues a ruling.

After Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks proposed, (and the Republican controlled County Legislature approved) slashing sales tax revenue sharing to local schools, school districts throughout the county banded together to file suit.

The School Districts which were due to receive about $28- million, saw that amount cut by %50 under the "FAIR" plan.

While they argue the County has a legal obligation to keep them whole, the County just as adamantly insists it is under no obligation to provide any more funding than what was established in the historic "Morin Ryan" revenue sharing agreement enacted more than 2 decades ago. Because the County is not reducing its funding level below what Morin Ryan called for it insists it did nothing illegal.

The School Districts also contend the manner in which the plan was hastily proposed to, and voted on by the County Legislature, amounted to a violation of the Open Meetings Law. As such, they are asking the judge to annul the action taken by the Legislature.

Here again ,County lawyers argue that  while action the taken may have been quick, it was far from illegal as everything was was done "by the book",  and in accordance with the law.

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