Here's how it works.

Town gets used to getting $X from the state capitol. They make their budgets based on that. They are 'staying within their means'. When $X suddenly, by fiat, becomes a percentage of what it once was, you can't blame the town for not 'staying within it's means". We sometimes have this problem in NH where our governors have to take "The Pledge" or they don't get elected. "The Pledge" is that they won't institute a sales tax or an income tax.

So the governor here raised fees. That was unpopular and some of them are beign rolled back. So now some of the money coming back to the towns from other state-wide taxes and liquor profits gets reduced and the towns have to hike property taxes.

THat's how a governor gets to keep his pledge while throwing towns under the bus and making the TOWNS look bad when, in fact, it was the state house creating the situation. In effect, the governor's mouth writing a check that they make the towns collect.