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SCHENECTADY
Layoffs likely for cash-strapped city
Stratton: Budget work ‘extremely challenging’
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    Layoffs are looking more and more likely in Schenectady.
    Mayor Brian U. Stratton declined to discuss the issue before his budget is released next Monday, but City Council members are bracing for the worst.
    “We may have to raise taxes and do layoffs,” said Councilman Thomas Della Sala. “Raising taxes is the last thing we want to do. We’ve cut and cut and cut. What’s left? Layoffs.”
    Stratton has been signaling that layoffs may be necessary since January, when the state announced it would cut aid to municipalities.
    The state is only projected to cut $1.2 million. But that hit, combined with the council and mayor’s decision to spend $4.4 million of the city’s savings this year, will put Schenectady on uncertain ground next year.
    The city cannot continue to use its savings to balance the budget — there is not enough money left to match this year’s $4.4 million. That means the city would have to cut back even if state aid remained the same.
    C o u n c i l w o m a n B a r b a r a Blanchard said the city could add new fees, which must be paid by nonprofits as well as taxable property owners.
    “That could be in the works,” she said. “I can’t comment on that. There are some fast thinkers in the fi nance department.”
    The last time the council created a new fee, the so-called garbage tax, residents protested in front of City Hall. Many still complain about that fee.
    Stratton has in the past discussed creating a public safety fee to force nonprofit organizations to pay their share of the city’s police and fi re departments.
    He said Monday that the 2011 budget was the most diffi cult spending plan he has ever created.
    “It’s extremely challenging,” he said. “The most difficult, by far.” .................>>>>.......................>>>>......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00900&AppName=1

"Fast thinkers in the finance department"-lol. They've known for 8 months the City faced a record $13 million deficit and so far have come up with screwing the broke County and broke School District. Mark B is gone maybe Ba-Ba should come up with her first idea?

     They should have announced a major cut of nonessential lobs months ago. Eliminate all nonprofit handouts starting with the morons at DSIC. When are they going to finally chuck the job destroying Erie redo? Naah, nothing is more sacred than a deal. The property owners can go to hell while we increase handouts to the dozens of non-profits with tin cup out.

Challenging? Like when the Schenectady Informer found that in 2009 the City paid Police Officer Keith Schaffer $126,845 when his base pay was $43,478? Or The Water & Sewage worker David Cole took home $23,324 when his base pay was $3,064? John Santabarbara Med. Mtr, Equip. Op. making $21,264 and his base pay was $3,064.

Raising property taxes again so the City can over-pay City employees. Turn off the lights at City Hall, that will save more than $8 million to the taxpayers!

Maybe they can layoff the mayor with his 100 k salary and his asleep at the wheel brain trust!

According to my sources, City Hall employees will be slashed 20%. This should have been done 8 months ago. City residents will tolerate no tax increases. The moronic Erie Boulevard redo is still in the budget.

     With all this BS from SS about "miracles" where is the increase in tax revenues from Downtown? Nada-nothing-zilch. Even sales taxes are in free fall. Everything is a PILOT give away and only the home owners get crushed. This is it for Mayor SOS and horrible DEM rubber stamps. A bunch of clapping seals with no idea how to manage a budget. He was defending property tax giveaways to rich developers. After 8 years the chickens have finally come home to roost.

How is he going to to defend his $25 M Garage for garbage trucks. Where is the cost savings that was promised? Downtown businesses were lured in with sweetheart tax deals and provide minimal increase in tax base, just ask the assessor he will tell you that.

yeah,,,,and how about going to your NYS leaders and killing the F'EN mandates......alot of mandates are FEEL GOOD legislation.....ya know what I mean?
the.."THEY need to do something about that".....then the elect-ed turn them into podium pucks instead of thinking them through......
WE CANT LEGISLATE CHARITY.......and the worst kind of charity are the government positions made for 'friends/voters'........DORKS.....
those folks are NO DIFFERENT than the government teet suckers of welfare.....

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SCHENECTADY
Stratton says city may lay off over 100
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com.

Schenectady may need to lay off more than 100 city employees, nearly one-seventh of the entire workforce, Mayor Brian U. Stratton said.
The question is no longer whether layoffs will happen, he added.
“It’s just a matter of how signifi - cant it will be,” he said.
Stratton met with department heads Monday and asked them to cut another 15 percent — beyond what they had already cut — from their proposed budgets. If all 15 percent comes from layoffs, more than 100 people would lose their jobs, Stratton said. The city has 678 budgeted positions.
    “I’m totally open to other cuts, reductions in service, consolidation, but the net effect has to be 15 percent,” he said.
    Department heads are also trying to convince more workers to retire. More than 100 are eligible.
    “But they won’t go,” Stratton said. “There’s one individual I know who’d make more money going than working. But they won’t go — they’d be bored to tears, I guess.”
    Stratton had hoped to save some money by switching all employees to one health insurance company, but CSEA is blocking the move.
    It would save the city $1.5 million without changing any employee’s benefits. One health insurance company has agreed to freeze its rates for two years in exchange for getting the entire workforce’s business. .............>.>>.............>>>>....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00901&AppName=1

The City should be flooded with cash after that bogus reassessment that added almost $1 billion to the City tax rolls. Mayor SOS refused to budget, refused to say no to any nonprofit with tin cup out and then built a Taj Mahal City garage on property that the City did not own. Not one person on the City Council protested any of this nor has any business experience.

      This is what happens when sheeple reelect an environment activist, a pensioned art teacher and a Paterson hack to City offices. After 7 years of Stratton's "leadership" the truth comes out. The cupboard is bare and hundreds of employees, including police in the middle of a gang war, must be terminated. The Mayor should return his City vehicle and voluntarily cut his pay 90%. All free medical coverage for City politicians must end. So much for "working together works" and so much for a third term for this horrible Mayor.

Its about time they did layoffs. What bad planning, if they did mid year layoffs they could have spared some jobs and services for next year. But Stratton is winning awards for his financial accumen LOL!

Quoted from 615

Its about time they did layoffs. What bad planning, if they did mid year layoffs they could have spared some jobs and services for next year. But Stratton is winning awards for his financial accumen LOL!

He actually won an award in Las Vegas for financial expertise. ROTFLMAO!! He was named politician of the year by that weekly rag. A total disgrace. With all the his increased taxes and fees he can't balance a budget. Now he has to cut police and fire because of his fiscal incompetence.

     SOS is finished politically. He couldn't win dog catcher next year. All the clapping seals that agreed to his spending spree are also finished. Working together works? To bankrupt a City and end many political careers.

Quoted from benny salami

He actually won an award in Las Vegas for financial expertise. ROTFLMAO!! He was named politician of the year by that weekly rag. A total disgrace. With all the his increased taxes and fees he can't balance a budget. Now he has to cut police and fire because of his fiscal incompetence.

     SOS is finished politically. He couldn't win dog catcher next year. All the clapping seals that agreed to his spending spree are also finished. Working together works? To bankrupt a City and end many political careers.

Unfortunately (and he knows it), with the current state of the Republican "party" in Schenectady, my prediction is, he'll walk right into that office, unopposed, maybe even with Buchanan's endorsement and support.

Quoted from 147

Unfortunately (and he knows it), with the current state of the Republican "party" in Schenectady, my prediction is, he'll walk right into that office, unopposed, maybe even with Buchanan's endorsement and support.

Right about the implosion of the REPS but if he has the nerve to run again after his budget fiasco several DEMS are ready to primary. Like SS Savage he has lost support in the DEM party. They are tired of paying for his fiscal incompetence.

Quoted from 737

Challenging? Like when the Schenectady Informer found that in 2009 the City paid Police Officer Keith Schaffer $126,845 when his base pay was $43,478? Or The Water & Sewage worker David Cole took home $23,324 when his base pay was $3,064? John Santabarbara Med. Mtr, Equip. Op. making $21,264 and his base pay was $3,064.

Raising property taxes again so the City can over-pay City employees. Turn off the lights at City Hall, that will save more than $8 million to the taxpayers!

Of course they OVER PAY city employees, combined with lucrative benefits, at the cost to the already overburdened tax payers....and all for VOTES!!!

Mean time Savage is losing her race for senate because Schenectady county is the laughing stock of the capital district. People know that schenectady is an overtaxed crime ridden sh!thole!! Susan Savage is running solely on 'economic development'. Economic development that has cost the taxpayers a bundle through metroplex, who's original promise was to bring jobs and decrease taxes.

Instead, taxes are at an all time high right along with unemployment and the county is now plagued with street gangs and murders!  

Quoted from benny salami

He actually won an award in Las Vegas for financial expertise. ROTFLMAO!! He was named politician of the year by that weekly rag. A total disgrace. With all the his increased taxes and fees he can't balance a budget. Now he has to cut police and fire because of his fiscal incompetence.

     SOS is finished politically. He couldn't win dog catcher next year. All the clapping seals that agreed to his spending spree are also finished. Working together works? To bankrupt a City and end many political careers.

Don't underestimate Stratton. He rules an incredibly dumbed down city where most of the residents are either on welfare or hold city jobs. It's called the 'friend and family', 'pay to play'  government!

This is why Zollinger needs to be on the other side of the rail! Anyone can be that that is the LAST person they want sitting next to them. Zollinger will expose EVERYTHING for the benefit of the taxpayers.