By MARV CERMAK First published in print: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
It seemed as though the stink from Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton's garbage tax created four years ago had finally dissipated. Stratton apparently couldn't stand success so he kicked the compost pile, reviving the stench.
His proposed '09 budget jacks the garbage bill 13 bucks to $144. That smelly 10 percent increase is part of Stratton's package of increased fees and taxes used to balance the new budget.
Pat Zollinger, a longtime City Hall watchdog, is upset over more tax, more spend. "The garbage fee itself has been a sham right from the start," Zollinger said at the last City Council meeting.
"Now, you make it even worse by increasing what is really just more taxation."
Zollinger said if the garbage bill was a true fee all the revenue would have to be placed in a separate fund, similar to water and sewer funds.
Instead, the garbage money goes to the bloated general fund. This creative financing helps keep the general fund from exceeding the state's constitutional property tax limit.
Imposition of the garbage tax was unjust from the get-go. Taxpayers have paid into the general fund for the service since it began nearly a century ago. In effect, residents are paying twice for trash collection.
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Salvatore
October 21, 2008, 4:33pm
Guest User
why the crying if they had to hire out to the BFI they would pay more
why the crying if they had to hire out to the BFI they would pay more
Ya think? Do the math. And where is the 'garbage fund' in the city budget? They impose garbage taxes and garbage fees and where in the budget does that money get dumped? And how many people are employed in the refuse department and what is that cost to the taxpayers? Privatize it!
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
you want to fire all the people over there that need the jobs? Well you said it not me? WHO will pick up the garbage? You people are crazy to want to have the filth pile up like this here crazy indeed
AGAIN.......Ya think? Do the math. And where is the 'garbage fund' in the city budget? They impose garbage taxes and garbage fees and where in the budget does that money get dumped? And how many people are employed in the refuse department and what is that cost to the taxpayers? Privatize it!
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
...well I guess no one but patronage workers and government employees knows how to pick up garbage. Too bad that more than half of the people probably agree with your foolish assumption. Government MUST do everything since we are all too weak, stupid, lazy and ignorant to do it ourselves in the private sector. Oh sorry, I forgot "greedy" also. When government workers make 130K they are like "Jesus" and when private sector workers make that much they are the "richest 1%" or some other socialist garbage.
"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."
...well I guess no one but patronage workers and government employees knows how to pick up garbage. Too bad that more than half of the people probably agree with your foolish assumption. Government MUST do everything since we are all too weak, stupid, lazy and ignorant to do it ourselves in the private sector. Oh sorry, I forgot "greedy" also. When government workers make 130K they are like "Jesus" and when private sector workers make that much they are the "richest 1%" or some other socialist garbage.
I like that......remember the 'stiff-necked people'????? Poor moses had to defend the poor slobs.......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
what does the guy here call it "the richest of the rich"??? LOL How about Gillien and some of his friends who get the largess? Are they not the "richest of the rich?"
"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."
Of course Pat Z is right and the garbage tax stinks. But if people in the City had any sense Pat Z would be sitting on the City Council now because of a huge write in victory.
Here's the rest of the trash story that you won't read in the horrible People's Gazette. The City wastes hundred of thousands of dollars shipping its trash to Rochester and Niagara Falls! The waste of gasoline and creation of pollution is unbelievable. Instead of building a WTE {waste to energy} plant like Europe, Syracuse and now SUNY-Cobleskill "over there" continues this insanity. Waste tax money, waste gas and creating tons of ozone deleting fumes. The icing on the cake is that Mayor Stratton keeps winning environmental awards from liberal moron groups.
The government should not be in charge of garbage disposal. Privatize it!!!
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
"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."
Because it's called a "fee" even though it's not a fee, the city doesn't include it in the calculations for determining what the constitutional tax limit would be.
Because they call it a fee they can increase our taxes even higher, even though it gets dumped into the general fund as "other" income.
I will be getting together a lawsuit against the city. What the hey, I.haven't got anything else to do with my time.
Because it's called a "fee" even though it's not a fee, the city doesn't include it in the calculations for determining what the constitutional tax limit would be.
Because they call it a fee they can increase our taxes even higher, even though it gets dumped into the general fund as "other" income.
I will be getting together a lawsuit against the city. What the hey, I.haven't got anything else to do with my time.
I agree with you Pat that we're all paying more in taxes than the constitution allows and a fee was just a cute way to get around the law. NYS has been doing the same thing and getting away with it.
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Of course Pat Z is right and the garbage tax stinks. But if people in the City had any sense Pat Z would be sitting on the City Council now because of a huge write in victory.
