Rick Karlin reports in The Albany Times-Union that mayors from across New York state pushed back Feb. 13 against a proposal by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that links state aid for municipalities to towns and villages local consolidation plans. Counties would be required to devise ways to consolidate and share services and put those proposals before local voters. Cuomo wants to eliminate villages inside of towns, and other layers of government he says are redundant. "The only thing it provides is a mandate from the state," Peter Baynes, executive director of the state Conference of Mayors, said. "It's not something that can be forced down from above." A Cuomo flack, Rich Azzopardi, responded, "We understand some people want to protect their fiefdoms at all costs, but the governor's plan is to get municipalities to talk to each other and actually lower taxes for property taxpayers." Read the full story in The Albany Times-Union.