The New York State Senate will convene a special session in August to address property-tax reform, Majority Leader Dean Skelos said Tuesday.

Skelos, a Long Island Republican, issued a brief statement saying senators would return Aug. 8 to approve Democratic Gov. David Paterson's property-tax cap.

Senators will also pass bills that cut costs for school districts, Skelos said, which could be a concession to the Democratic-led Assembly.

The Assembly has not announced if, or when, it would return for a special session. A call to the Assembly's press office was not immediately returned.

Paterson introduced legislation that would cap annual increases in property taxes by 4 percent, or 120 percent of the consumer price index, whichever is smaller. A super majority of a school district's voters could opt to override that cap.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, has maintained that he will not support any cap on property taxes unless he's assured that school districts would not lose funding.

Powerful labor unions, such as the 600,000-member New York State United Teachers, have lobbied against the bill since Paterson introduced it last month. The New York State Business Council supports a tax cap.

Democrats hold a commanding edge in the Assembly, while Republicans have just a one-vote majority in the Senate.