The court revenue is $90 to $100,000. This includes code violations and all other fines. The cost to run the courts for the 2009 budget year is $75,678
Hypothetically speaking, if the County Sheriffs didn't patrol the hill towns, and say you lost half your revenue to now only $45K to $50K a year in court revenue. You would have to generate the other $25K to run the court by raising taxes, or cut the cost to operate the court.
They couldn't survive out there without having twice the cops per thousand residents than any other municipality in the capital district. Don't get crazy now. The Sheriff's road patrol is a necessity out there to handle the tens of thousands of calls they must handle. I mean, they must handle a lot of calls out there because there's no way the legislature would have voted to expend well over a million a year to just roam around the county aimlessly writing traffic tickets....Right? I mean, there must be monthly, quarterly or at least annual reports documenting all of the CALLS they answer. I am not referring to the car stops and arrests at the jail- but strictly calls they are called to respond to by the public--- assaults, robberies, rapes, murders, burglaries. In all of the years of this expanded road patrol I do not ever recall reading about their work on serious crimes such as these.
Maybe next budget cycle, a legislator will wake up and ask for simple documentation, Maybe!
An 8.9 percent increase in Schenectady County taxes for 2009? Let’s get serious. It’s time that our county managers and Legislature start to recognize they are running a multimillion-dollar business. Their shareholders are the taxpayers. It’s time to take a serious look at the budget and start spending what the taxpayer can afford. For starters, let’s eliminate all patronage jobs, freeze all hiring and reduce existing positions by 10 percent. This may mean reallocating resources in key areas, but overall we need to learn to do more with less. It’s also time we start voting out all the incumbents. Then maybe we can get real change . J. R. VINCENT Niskayuna
Great letter. It's amazing how no one criticizes this County Manager. She is the chief executive of this County. There was no search when the job became available. Her initial budget proposal was a joke. Then people expect the County Democrats who have zero business expertise to correct her budget.
Fire the County Manager. Terminate Metrograft and fire Metrograft Ray. Sell the County Home to a non-profit like Montgomery County and Dutchess County have done. This would result in a lower Sales Tax, and a 15% reduction in property taxes. Dump any incumbent who voted to soak the County taxpayers in a recession.
On one side you have the plex spending millions of taxpayers dollars on so called 'bringing back' Schenectady. Beautifying buildings. Developing an arts district. Proposing loft apartments that carry a hefty rent in the thousands.
On the other side you have our local government spending millions of taxpayers dollars on social programs. Such as welfare and medicaid. Enhancing and expanding them every year.
So now with a divided ideology....who, in reality, is this attracting to our area? What appears most appealing? Well, it appears that our social handout programs are attracting and enticing an undesirable element to our society that brings with it drugs, prostitution and violent crimes. Placing a financial tax burden on the people.
The state mandates that local governments pay for such social programs. But the state does not dictate 'how much'. So the county legislatures can blame the state mandates all they want. But it is ultimately 'they' that come up with the dollar amount. And it is 'they' (our county legislatures) that have made Schenectady a mecca for undesirables. They are flocking to Schenectady for the free handouts. Schenectady is well known in NYC as the 'place to move' for welfare benefits. They say Schenectady has the best! WOW...now that is something to be proud of, huh?
One would hope that people in NYC and other areas would say that Schenectady is the best known for their 'arts' district, low taxes, affordable housing and job opportunities. BUT THEY DON'T! AND THEY WON'T! No one who could make Schenectady a better place to live would even consider moving to an area that is one of the highest taxed counties in the nation. They are not going to move here where crime is rampant. Where they rub elbows with the chronically homeless. Where they can witness a drug sale on street corners. Where they can witness people urinating on the sidewalk.
Start cutting spending to the social programs. Lower the contributions to the non-profits. Make our social programs so lean that the undesirables will move to another area! Dissolve the plex and entice and encourage the private sector to develop.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Another failure of the city politicians is by not stopping the crime in the city it's spilling over into the towns that surround said city and raising their crime rate too. I totally agree with you Bumble about everyone looking for a free handout heads for Schenectady as we have the best. When I was at the SS Office filing out a form a man and a representative from one of the non profits was there to help this man get some aid. When asked by the SS employee how long the guy was in the area the non profit representative replied "that the guy was feet dry for 1 day". It doesn't get any easier to get money than that.
There was an amendment to audit the operations of the Sheriff and the department to find savings and ways to operate more correctly and Suhrada actually spoke in favor of the deputies patrolling the western 2 towns as charted in the enabling legislation, not the whole county. I was told that Jasenski actually tried to call him mean spirited (that was the term he used) for expecting that efficiency. So maybe Tony J is not really representing the local taxpayers who want the deputies to work where they are supposed to, instead of interfering with the local police and overlapping services. Tony had a chance to "reign in" the overextension of the road patrol but in his prepared notes that were written by Gardner or someone, he rebutted the notion there was a need to do so. Suhrada made it clear that he supports the road patrol in Duanesburg and Princetown, but I am sure there will be stories that he wants to dismantle it entirely. The democrats appear uniform in wanting it to operate county wide and overlap onto other turf. Suhrada actually puts forth a compromise and one which serves everyone then gets blasted eventually for it. hmmm...
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Metrograft is a complete failure. Sales tax revenue down, city building permits down, city property tax revenues down. No jobs created-thousands of jobs lost Downtown. Parisi's is closing after dinner service tonight. Many other "arts and drunks" venues are hanging on by a thread. Big House with $3 million in your money is not opening.
Another joke was this tourism BS. We are going to be another Florence? The Chamber moving to the Gillete House, where over $1 million of your money has been wasted. The County keeps flushing millions down the Metrograft toilet. To benefit a handful, who just by happen to donate back.
GB is correct. Joe Suhrada supported the road patrol in the Duanesburg/Princetown area. Joe Suhrada was just proposing verification on the need for the Sheriff's road patrol in the entire county. The areas that presently have their own and pay for their own police departments may not need the Sheriff's road patrol. That appeared to be his only concern.
see he wants to get rid of the policemen and leave us un - protected this is what I mean about the repubs how they operate over here it is a dis- gratzia
Is Shurada's road patrol proposal to just patrol those towns without a police force, preventing redundency in the towns that do have police services, be funded by ALL the taxpayer of Schenectaady County. Or would it be just a cost payed for by the residents in those towns receiving the service? Duanesburg/Princetown.
As the article in today's Gazette points out, Princetown pays NO town taxes, yet receives a disproportionate amount of county road patrol service. And why is the solution always given is consolidation of police services. Why not Duanesburg and Princetown fund their own police service?
They couldn't survive out there without having twice the cops per thousand residents than any other municipality in the capital district. Don't get crazy now. The Sheriff's road patrol is a necessity out there to handle the tens of thousands of calls they must handle. I mean, they must handle a lot of calls out there because there's no way the legislature would have voted to expend well over a million a year to just roam around the county aimlessly writing traffic tickets....Right? I mean, there must be monthly, quarterly or at least annual reports documenting all of the CALLS they answer. I am not referring to the car stops and arrests at the jail- but strictly calls they are called to respond to by the public--- assaults, robberies, rapes, murders, burglaries. In all of the years of this expanded road patrol I do not ever recall reading about their work on serious crimes such as these.
Maybe next budget cycle, a legislator will wake up and ask for simple documentation, Maybe!
My inlaws are coming for dinner and I will probably have to cut this short, but I look forward to the discussion later.....maybe on the D'burg or Sheriff's thread??? Pappa, why do you have to be such a wise guy? We had this discussion before. The troopers are not "dedicated" to D'burg any more and may in fact may be two counties away if we need them. The Sheriff's patrol was supposed to be 2 deputies for Princetown and Duanesburg. We know that and it isn't my fault or the fault of the residents of Duanesburg that it took on a life of its own. How would you like it if your wife was getting the pulp beat out of her and there was no help for her within 30 or 40 miles. We exist out here, like it or not and we demand atleast limited service when possible. Your million $$ figure is the cost of the patrol for the entire county.......what is the cost for its original intent...Duanesburg and Princetown? I am sorry the patrol has expanded into territories of other law enforcement agencies.....go pee on a tree and mark your territory, but stay out of mine. You have a very good point as to the amount of revenue generated by justthe Sheriffs patrol and I will see if I can get a break down. Perhaps if you think there are a gazillion state troopers out here we will find the revenue actually generated by the sheriffs patrol is minimal and most comes from the troopers. Talk to you all later, my inlaws are here!!
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Great letter. It's amazing how no one criticizes this County Manager. She is the chief executive of this County. There was no search when the job became available. Her initial budget proposal was a joke. Then people expect the County Democrats who have zero business expertise to correct her budget. 
