This week, a New York Supreme Court Justice declared unconstitutional a tax covering a 12-county area including the city of New York and its surrounding suburbs, creating a $1.26 billion hole in this year's MTA budget.
In ruling in favor of a lawsuit brought by Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and other suburban communities against the Payroll Mobility Tax, which was adopted by the State Legislature in 2009 to rescue the indebted Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MTA), "Judge R. Bruce Cozzens Jr. held the levy violated a so-
called home-rule provision in the state constitution," reports Esmé E. Deprez.
In a statement, the MTA claimed that, "Removing
more than $1.2 billion in revenue from the Payroll Mobility Tax,
plus hundreds of millions of dollars more from other taxes
affected by yesterday's ruling, would be catastrophic for the
MTA and for the economy of New York state." It continues, "Without the Payroll Mobility Tax or another stable and reliable
source of funding, the MTA would be forced to implement a combination of
extreme service cuts and fare hikes."
According to Deprez, "Mangano, a Republican who led the plaintiffs in the suit
filed in 2010, celebrated today alongside state and county
legislators at a news briefing in Mineola. He called the
decision as a 'victory for taxpayers and job creators
throughout the state.'"
FULL STORY: New York MTA’s Payroll Tax Rejected in Blow to Agency

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie