What is the VALUE of our taxes.....taxed exist and always will......but, WHAT do we get for it?.....where is the value in our taxes.....

value is word stated by politicos 'tongue in cheek'.......they change them into podium pucks without effect.....is it the system? is it the public? is it a generation? is it greed?
is it feel good policy? is it laziness? what?

Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY COUNTY
$9.5M in surplus eyed to trim tax levy
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

    Schenectady County will tap approximately $9.5 million from its fund balance to reduce next year’s tax levy by $135,000, or by 0.2 percent, according to a budget review Monday night.
    The tentative $293 million budget represents an increase of $5 million in appropriations from the current $288 million budget. The 2011 tax levy is tentatively set at $64 million.
    County legislators will continue their review sessions through this week and into next week. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 4 in the sixth floor chambers of the County Offi ce Building. The Legislature will vote on the budget Oct. 5. The county’s fiscal year begins Jan. 1.
    County Manager Kathleen Rooney said the $9.5 million amount is high but not the highest amount the county Legislature has appropriated through the years to balance the budget. “We’re using the surplus in a conservative and fiscally provided manner,” she said.
    County officials said the Legislature appropriated $7.2 million of the fund balance in 2000; $6.3 in 2001; $9.2 million in 2002 and $9.9 million in 2003. In 2004, the amount was $10 million, used to reduce a 16.7 percent property tax increase.
    For 2010 the Legislature allocated $6 million from the fund balance, but will close the fiscal year without having used any of it, said County Attorney Chris Gardner.
    Democratic county legislators defended using the fund balance to lower the tax levy. “We have the healthiest surplus in the Capital Region, and it is OK to give the people back some of the money they gave us and to give them a benefi t from money we received from other sources,” said Legislator Philip Fields, D-Schenectady, chairman of the Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee.
    County Legislator Vincent DiCerbo, D-Schenectady, said the county had to draw heavily on the surplus “because no one knew how serious or deep the recession would be. You need to use the fund balance for times like this.”
    Despite the 0.2 percent reduction in the tax levy, some residents may still see an increase in their county taxes, Fields said.
    Municipalities set their tax rates in December, based on their assessments and their equalization rates. County taxes represent about 15 percent to 20 percent of a resident’s total tax bill; school taxes and local municipal taxes and fees comprise the remainder.
    Fields said the county is using the surplus to cover for the loss of federal stimulus funds, for increases in mandated payments into the state pension system and in costs for Medicaid and foster care and to cover the loss of state revenue. In all, the county is projecting the loss of $3 million in federal funds and $1 million in state funds for 2011.
    The county’s budget has grown by 2 percent per year between 2001 and 2011. The levy, meanwhile, has increased by $12 million between 2004 and 2011.
    The $64 million tentative tax levy includes a $4.1 million subsidy for the Glendale Home, a countyoperated facility for the elderly. The $4.1 million subsidy is double the amount county taxpayers paid in the current year. The Glendale Home this year lost federal funding.
    On the plus side, Fields said the county expects to see sale tax revenues increase slightly in 2011 to $84 million.
    Two years ago, the county collected $80.2 million in sales tax revenues.
    Mortgage recording fees and interest income are expected to remain fl at, however.
    The county plans to reduce 22 employee positions through attrition next year and will offer early retirement incentives to 35 employees.
    It has reduced its 1,500-person work force by some 200 positions over the last seven years.
    The county expects to achieve a further $1 million in savings through negotiated changes in health benefits with its unions next year. It generally uses the savings to offset any wage increases granted the bargaining units.
    Contracts with all but one union have expired. The 2011 budget also omits salary increases for nonunion employees, but they generally receive salary increases similar to the unions.
    Minority Leader Legislator Robert Farley, R-Glenville, criticized the budget, saying it relies on an overestimation of revenues, contains no real cost controls and does not reduce spending. ...............>>>>..................>>>>...................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00902&AppName=1

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.......
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

my stomach hurts.......

What happened to that working together works and the major 0.3% decrease???

Quoted from Kevin March

What happened to that working together works and the major 0.3% decrease???

It's now 0.2 percent

The question is why does the county legislature have 9.5 million dollars in surplus unless they're over-taxing it's residents in the first place.

I like the new rep Susan Savage ad that reminds the taxpayers that Schenectady county is the 19th highest taxed in the country!!! Now that's a REAL good reason to vote for her in NYS!!!!

Quoted from Shadow

The question is why does the county legislature have 9.5 million dollars in surplus unless they're over-taxing it's residents in the first place.

It isn't really "surplus" it is the operating "fund balance." They need a cushion of about 15% in the bank just like you and I so that when a big outlay comes up you don't overdraft. With a 300 million dollar budget they need to always keep 45 million on hand to be safe but that has shrunk and the big number as GROWN like crazy the past 5-6 years. Drawing it down to have a "tax cut" makes it possible to have higher operating costs because overdrafting costs interest expense. A person who earns 100K should have 15K in the bank in case the roof leaks, the motor in the car blows, a picture window gets smashed that isn't covered by insurance or even medical and dental cost arise that aren't planned. However in this county with this leadership "politics works."

That sure sounds like Schenectady isn't in very good fiscal shape then with only a portion of what they should have.

Quoted from mikechristine1

Uh, would you care to explain how you can make a statement that county taxes have been cut in three of the past five years??????????????????
I just went and looked at my receipts   The county portion of my tax bill has NEVER gone down.
I DO notice that the tax LEVY has gone down, but that has NOT translated to "lower taxes"

the county property tax  rate HAS been cut in 3 of the past 5 years -- that is a undisputable fact -- and unless your house INCREASED during  value in the past 5 years your county
tax bill should have gone down in those years that the rate was cut.
It is possible that your city/town taxes went up .. or sewer district .. or water district .. and that
might explain why your OVERALL tax bill went up.

Who ya gonna blame when you own the dogcatcher up to the president uninterrupted? Let's see- town board, county leg, assembly, senate, governor, house, US Senate, President...OH! LETS BLAME THE GOP WHO DON' T CONTROL ANYTHING! YEAH!  



                     uhhh duhhhhhh

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

Who ya gonna blame when you own the dogcatcher up to the president uninterrupted? Let's see- town board, county leg, assembly, senate, governor, house, US Senate, President...OH! LETS BLAME THE GOP WHO DON' T CONTROL ANYTHING! YEAH!  
                     uhhh duhhhhhh

Sounds good to me.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

the county property tax  rate HAS been cut in 3 of the past 5 years -- that is a undisputable fact -- and unless your house INCREASED during  value in the past 5 years your county
tax bill should have gone down in those years that the rate was cut.
It is possible that your city/town taxes went up .. or sewer district .. or water district .. and that
might explain why your OVERALL tax bill went up.

ahhhhh.....Atlas Shrugged......you see they all knew and know........the plebs are not edumacated on this circus...and they cant blame
the bankers.....THE RULES ARE SET BY THEY GUMBAS.......dont you see......that is why they 'ease' the regs on home ownership/purchase
to collect taxes......it's ALWAYS a shakedown........I say show me the $$ trail......and show me the VALUE........

It is an undisputed FACT that counties across New York State have been strapped with unfunded
state mandates --- It is a fact that in 34 years in the State Senate, Hugh has done NOTHING to
reverse this trend  ---- therefore ...  Hugh "double-dipper, do-nothing" Farley bears a HUGE part
of the responsibility for spending increases in Schenectady County.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Farley bears a HUGE part
of the responsibility for spending increases in Schenectady County.

So DVR is saying that Hugh Farley is SOLELY responsible for schenectady county's high taxes! Susan Savage or Stratton or the Metroplex or Kosiur has absolutely ntohing to do with it????????

Please provide his voting record and exactly what state mandates he voted for!  Everyone else here seems to be able to provide Susan Savages!....k?