Quoted from 615

Well said Mike, except no one would be dumb enough to open a business in the city unless they were bribed into it.

Well, there is a group that's sending out these bribes, and they act as a part of the government.  There used to be the "mob" that offered "protection."  Now, even THAT has been taken over by the government.

Quoted from Kevin March

Well, there is a group that's sending out these bribes, and they act as a part of the government.  There used to be the "mob" that offered "protection."  Now, even THAT has been taken over by the government.

CHA-CHING!!! The Mob IS the government.....or atleast the gumbas.....

Except that the City of Schenectady's decline began with a string of GOP mayors in the 60's and 70's
and in the 90's  -- the same period that the GOP controlled the County government ... and screwed that
up  .....and should I mention the GOP control of the Governor's mansion under Rockefeller and Pataki who
did a lot to ruin our state.

Would that be the same Rockefeller that had the South Mall built and kept all those construction workers in a job for many years.

Quoted from Shadow

Would that be the same Rockefeller that had the South Mall built and kept all those construction workers in a job for many years.

the project -- taxpayer funder (which I thought you folks didn't like)   -- tore out the "heart" fo Albany --
leveled a whole neighborhood  -- 900 properties taken off the property tax rolls  -- probably -- 2,000 to
3,000 people lived in that neighborhood and SHOPPED in Downtown and Central State business districts

frankly the Empire State Plaza is the most hideous complex constructed .... next to the mall which
destroyed downtown Amsterdam

It kept an awful lot of people employed at a time when jobs were scarce and the area demolished was a pretty run down group of houses. The down side was that it did lower the tax base but you are forgetting that thousands of people work there and they were the ones that shop, eat and spent the money that really revitalized Albany. Schenectady is trying to create the same thing except they don't have a South Mall with the thousands of people who work there every day and spend money like Albany does. The Golub offices don't have enough people working there to do the same thing.

Quoted from Shadow

It kept an awful lot of people employed at a time when jobs were scarce and the area demolished was a pretty run down group of houses. The down side was that it did lower the tax base but you are forgetting that thousands of people work there and they were the ones that shop, eat and spent the money that really revitalized Albany. Schenectady is trying to create the same thing except they don't have a South Mall with the thousands of people who work there every day and spend money like Albany does. The Golub offices don't have enough people working there to do the same thing.

The way they built the roadway into the Empire State Plaza --- workers zoom in and zoom out --- there
was not much activity in downtown Albany from the mid 1970's to the mid 1990's ----
I remember when Albany had a number of good stores down there ... and the building of Empire
State Plaza ruined those businesses.

They are still trying to "reinvent" Downtown Albany  --bring back the "critical mass" of people needed
to support the shops and restaurants  ... they have a long, long way to go

When did GE start pulling out of Schenectady???? hmmmmmmmmm.............

I worked in Albany next to the South Mall and there are an awful lot of state workers who shop, eat, and spend money on their lunch hour. They help to provide the much needed cash to keep those businesses in profitable. When the mall was built the construction workers spent their money on food and DRINK as well.

Quoted from bumblethru

When did GE start pulling out of Schenectady???? hmmmmmmmmm.............

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe that was the work of Mayor Karen Johnson(DEM). She went to GE with a significantly higher tax bill for which they said goodbye! Then when that failed and the majority of GE left, Johnson began turning her attention towards the pockets of the taxpayers. I believe that set the precedent for the raping of the taxpayers which still continues today.

Schenectady taxpayers pay their property taxes and now are being double-billed by now having to pay for garbage, water and now a curb fee? All the curb fee is another way to say, "your taxes are going up, I'm just calling it something else". Last year it was the over-inflated assessments, this year it's the curb fee...what's left for next year? Air tax?!  

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Except that the City of Schenectady's decline began with a string of GOP mayors in the 60's and 70's
and in the 90's  -- the same period that the GOP controlled the County government ... and screwed that
up  .....and should I mention the GOP control of the Governor's mansion under Rockefeller and Pataki who
did a lot to ruin our state.

Uh, and GOP mayor proposes a trash fee and what did YOUR democrats say?????   The council was then all democrat at the time (maybe there was one rep), but it was YOUR democrats who said unanimously NO NO NO to a trash fee.

Then what happened a few years ago??????????????????????????????     YOUR dem mayor proposed a trash fee, saying it was going to be the saving grace of the city.  And the 100% dem council unanimously said YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And so, the dems increased the taxes BIG TIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now, YOUR dems are putting yet ANOTHER fee on.  YOUR dems are increasing the taxes again BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, but all this stuff downtown, all the $100 million or so of OUR TAX DOLLARS spent on downtown, tell us WHAT did it do for this city?????   Huh????????????  

What have we got in return for our $100 million???????     Let's see you address these one by one, point by point.

1.    Taxes have gone up every year
2.    In addition to tax increases, we have a trash fee tax added.
3.    In addition to tax increases, and in addition to the trash fee tax, then (thanks to YOUR dems) we have ALSO have an increase to the trash fee tax
4.    In addition to tax increases and in addition to a trash tax fee, and in addition to an increase in the trash fee tax, now we will have a curb fee added.  
5.    Property values have gone down
6.    Vacancy rate of housing in the city has gone up  (but YOUR dems propose spening tax dollars to build more housing....why would ANYONE propose new houses when there is a glut of vacant houses?)
7.    Numbers of abandoned houses has gone up
8.    Number
9.    Long time homeowners have seen their taxes go up so much that they can no longer afford to fix up their own homes
10.    Code enforcement is next to nothing....except what YOUR dems do citing people for stupid crap like the size of the house number while doing NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the burned out buildings....I DEFY you to explain WHY burned out houses have sat unattended for all these years that the dems have been in power.
11.  Crime is up
12.  Murders are up
13.  Necessary city services are being cut.
14.  People are moving out of the city in droves


HOW, DV, HOW can ANYONE justify using our tax dollars to give millioniares virtually 100% tax exemptions while at the same time that the fire and police are being cut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    

How can ANYONE of your dems claim there is no money to provide adequate fire and police when there is an abundance of money in the pockets of all the rich businesses downtown that dont' pay taxes.

And again, HOW can you say it's better that the lower income people of this city keep having their taxes increased to cover the tax bills of the rich businsses and developers downtown??????????????

Mark my words DV, in a few years we will have another increase to the trash fee tax, there will be an increase to the curb fee tax, and there will be more "fees" invented...by YOUR dems

Quoted from mikechristine1

HOW, DV, HOW can ANYONE justify using our tax dollars to give millioniares virtually 100% tax exemptions while at the same time that the fire and police are being cut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    

How can ANYONE of your dems claim there is no money to provide adequate fire and police when there is an abundance of money in the pockets of all the rich businesses downtown that dont' pay taxes.

And again, HOW can you say it's better that the lower income people of this city keep having their taxes increased to cover the tax bills of the rich businsses and developers downtown??????????????

I'll tell you how.  He see's what the party boss tells him to see, with hopes of getting a patronage job.

Quoted from 737

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe that was the work of Mayor Karen Johnson(DEM). She went to GE with a significantly higher tax bill for which they said goodbye! Then when that failed and the majority of GE left, Johnson began turning her attention towards the pockets of the taxpayers. I believe that set the precedent for the raping of the taxpayers which still continues today.

Schenectady taxpayers pay their property taxes and now are being double-billed by now having to pay for garbage, water and now a curb fee? All the curb fee is another way to say, "your taxes are going up, I'm just calling it something else". Last year it was the over-inflated assessments, this year it's the curb fee...what's left for next year? Air tax?!  

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!

The battery factory=Atlas Shrugged

it doesn't matter which party is in......BUT...the unions will always push the Dems.....NO BOUT ADOUDT IT......

Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY
Curb fee cost still being calculated Official: ‘We’re going through each tax map’
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com.

    Despite the constant work of fi ve city employees, the per-foot cost of the city’s proposed curb fee has not yet been determined.
    Finance Commissioner Ismat Alam said Friday it may be more than a week before the city can tell property owners how much they would pay under the fee, which would cover some street maintenance work.
    City workers are poring over tax maps to measure the front of every property in Schenectady. The curb fee will charge an amount per foot of frontage on city streets to all property owners, including nonprofits exempt from paying property taxes. Only governmentowned property would escape the new fee.
    “It takes a while to get the correct linear footage,” Alam said. “We’re going through each tax map.”
    Once she knows how many feet of frontage there are in the city, she can figure out how much the per-foot fee would have to be to generate $1.4 million, the amount Mayor Brian Stratton wants to raise through the fee.
    The figure will not be available before Tuesday’s public hearing on the budget, Alam said. City officials had originally promised to announce the cost of the fee by Tuesday.
    But the numbers will be available before the public hearing on the fee, Alam said. That hearing will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 at City Hall. ......................>>>>..................>>>>..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00900&AppName=1