Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY
Grant leaves gap on police benefi ts
State cash shrinks; city alright due to cautious budget
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com.

    Police officers’ benefits are not being completely supported this year by the state Project Impact grant.
    For years, the state has not only paid for some of Schenectady’s detectives, crime analysts and other police salaries but also for all of their benefits. For Schenectady officers, fringe benefits are generally equal to 50 percent of their salary.
    But this year, the state decided to offer just 30 percent of each officer’s salary for benefits, leaving the city $42,000 short.
    The move could have caused a budget crimp, but Finance Commissioner Ismat Alam decided not to include any Project Impact funds in the 2009 budget — just in case.
    “We don’t ever know if we’re going to get the grant. So we didn’t budget it,” she said. “If you don’t get it, you’re really screwed up.”
    Instead of full benefits, the state added other allowable expenses to this year’s grant, including money for a part-time camera monitor. That’s coming at just the right time for the city — a temporary state grant for part-time monitors will run out Sept. 30.
    The city has dozens of cameras but no money to pay someone to watch them, and the cameras feed into an area of police headquarters that is generally unmanned.
    “It’s not cost-effective to have 24-hour monitoring,” Police Chief Mark Chaires said. “Best practice is put it in dispatch. That would be the ideal so we can get real-time data from our dispatchers.” ..................>>>>...................>>>>.............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01303&AppName=1

I'm really really not understanding this incestuous relationship....can someone please make an outline.....so if there is grant $$
one would assume the tax levy would decrease.,.....