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NEW YORK -- Governor Cuomo's tax cap is being put to the test today, as voters cast their ballots for school budgets across the state. The budgets have been drafted under the new two percent tax cap limit, and most districts have spending plans that stay within the new boundaries. Those budgets only require a simple majority to pass.

Districts that are asking taxpayers for a bigger increase need a 60 percent super majority to pass. If a school district's budget is voted down today, they have a chance to put it up for a revote. Budgets that fail twice won't be able to raise the tax levy at all.

Many districts in our area have chosen to cut costs by eliminating staff positions and programs.

"This cap is a big restriction. It basically says that you are limited as to what you can raise locally, and if that's the case, we really have to restrict what we can put in the budget to satisfy the voters. And in order to do that, we're typically going to have to freeze salaries, we're going to have to lessen the amount of additional programs and services, we might have to defer maintenance," said Tim Kremer, NYS School Boards Association.

Governor Cuomo proposed the tax cap, and it was adopted last year. It restricts school districts from increasing their property tax levy by more than two percent, or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. The cap amount varies from district to district, because there are exemptions like pension costs and other expenditures.

Watch the full interview with New York State School Board Association Executive Director Tim Kremer.

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