Quoted Text

City moves to cut county money
By LAUREN STANFORTH Staff writer
Published 12:01 a.m., Tuesday, May 17, 2011

SCHENECTADY -- City Council is moving forward with plans to stop making the county whole on unpaid taxes.

City Council's finance committee voted Monday night to have the city's law office write a change to the mandate that the city pay the county's share of unpaid property taxes.

City Corporation Counsel L. John Van Norden said the law likely dates back to the city's original 1906 charter when such practices were standard. But now Schenectady is one of the only cities statewide that is responsible for making its county whole.

Council President and acting Mayor Gary McCarthy said that decades ago, with the population near 100,000 and General Electric booming, the requirement was an easy one to fill. But now the city cannot afford to keep its long-ago promise, as last year's bill to the county totaled nearly $1.8 million. The city already cut the county money out of the 2011 budget, but had yet to make the practice official by amending the local law.

McCarthy said he wants to partner with the county to more effectively go after delinquent property owners; the city has already hired its own collector to get its share of back taxes.

"I want to approach it as a friendly action," McCarthy said at the meeting. "I don't want to stiff them."................................Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/City-moves-to-cut-county-money-1382271.php#ixzz1MbhqBAeP

So, in other words, the rest of the county will have to start carrying even more of the burden from the city taxpayers.  Good thing we now get less of a vote.

Quoted from Kevin March

So, in other words, the rest of the county will have to start carrying even more of the burden from the city taxpayers.  Good thing we now get less of a vote.

Is the City so bassackwards?

How about cutting any and all overtime for City workers (that would take a few thousand out of McCarthy's pocket and hundreds of other City workers).

How about cutting City workers, eliminating free cell phones and free City vehicles.

Metroplex and the 'leaders' of Schenectady have run the town into the ground and cannot find a shovel big enough to fill the abyss.

Absolutely pathetic.

They don't have enough money left to buy a shovel to start filling the hole they've dug in the last 10 years.

they have cars all over for 'workers'....