SCHENECTADY — The state comptroller's office is auditing the city's finances for the first time in eight years — a state effort, the mayor says, to assess the impact of the property tax cap and lingering recession on upstate urban areas.
Members of the comptroller's office met Tuesday with Mayor Gary McCarthy and other city administrators about the review.
McCarthy said the audit is not in response to his previous statements about the city's $5 million deficit, or the fact that the former fire chief is having a comptroller's hearing to try to get his controversial overtime pay figured into his final pension calculation.
"(The comptroller's office) said they're doing a number of cities, measuring the stress level on communities in upstate," McCarthy said. "They want to put it together and have something done by the end of the year to help formulate change in state policy to provide relief to local governments."
Brian Butry, spokesman for Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, confirmed the state is auditing the city of Schenectady, but would not comment on the reason.
In May of this year, McCarthy said the city ran a $4.8 million deficit in 2011 and would be lucky to break even in 2012. An independent audit revealed the city had actually budgeted for a $7.8 million deficit in 2011 but recouped some savings after an employee benefit switch. Butry said then that it's not unusual for municipalities and school districts to end a year in the red, and that the state only takes a closer look when a municipality has multiple years of deficits.
Former Fire Chief Robert Farstad is scheduled for a hearing with the comptroller's office in an attempt to have his overtime calculated into his pension. The overtime caused a controversy in November 2010 after it was revealed city officials had allowed Farstad, who was salaried, to earn up to $126,000 in overtime over three years to make up for the City Council's decision against enrolling him in a more lucrative pension plan. After the public learned about the overtime, then-Mayor Brian U. Stratton stopped the overtime payments and said he would communicate to the state that Farstad's overtime from 2009 and 2010 would not count toward his pension.
Schenectady last had a state fiscal audit in 2004, after it was revealed the city was on the verge of insolvency. Then Comptroller Alan Hevesi said the city would run out of money by May of that year because of years of blatant overspending and poor fiscal practices. Stratton restored the city's reserves back to more than $20 million, but they have since been whittled down after the recession hit more than three years ago.
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Print out messages from these boards, the images showing the EVIDENCE of the THEFT from the taxpayers!
Get this info to the state, how the CITY SWINDLES THE TAXPAYERS out of money and vital services, and spends it lavishly and uncontrolably on giving cars to employees to take daily pleasure drives FAR FAR away from the city to go home.
Include the information how the city refuses to abide by it's own laws by allowing it's highest paid employees to avoid paying taxes in the city by refusing to mandate the residency.
BY THE WAY, HOW ABOUT THE NEW POLICE "CHIEF" TO BE, WAYNE BENNETT WHO IS BELIEVED TO LIVE IN SARATOGA CO. What did McCarthy say about the top cop? He wants the top cop to live IN the city. Hello????
Pass info on to the state to show the PROOF (like I posted yesterday) that the city DEM political cronies REFUSE to reduce assessment on the average homeowner despite the FACE that the homeowners present a wealth of EVIDENCE of house sales far far below the assessment value, that the board claims dozens of sales is "insufficient data," but then goes and grants a whopping 50% reduction to a someone who is downtown, has defaulted on loans given to him from taxpayer money, and just has he is going to lose his partial tax exemption he succeeds in getting a 50% reduction!!!!!
The list is ENDLESS!
Start working NOW. Get your printers printing!
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
We need the address/email/fax# to the comptrollers office....yes?
'Speak now...or forever hold your....TAXBILL'!!!!
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
How to Contact the Office of the State Comptroller General Inquiries Office of the State Comptroller 110 State Street Albany, NY 12236 (Note: Please include the name of the division or individual that you are contacting) 518-474-4044 Email: contactus@osc.state.ny.us
Office of Unclaimed Funds 1-800-221-9311 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm) Email: NYSOUF@osc.state.ny.us
Retirement 1-866-805-0990 or 518-474-7736 (in the Albany area) Email: retirement contact page
Report Government Waste, Abuse or Fraud 1-888-OSC-4555 or 1-888-672-4555 (Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.) Email: investigations@osc.state.ny.us
Freedom of Information Requests 518-474-4015 Fax: 518-473-8940 Email: foil@osc.state.ny.us
Public Authorities Reporting Information System (PARIS) Toll-free: 866-370-4672 Locally within the Albany, NY area: 518-408-4672 Email: ciohelpdesk@osc.state.ny.us
Local Government and School Accountability General Inquiries: 518-474-4037 Technical Assistance/Professional Standards: 518-474-5404 Financial Reporting/Electronic Filing of Reports: 518-474-4014 Justice Court Fund: 518-473-6438 Statewide and Regional Projects: 607-721-8306 Training: 518-473-0005 Requests for Publications and Government Data: 518-474-6975 Regional Offices Email: localgov@osc.state.ny.us
State Agencies Contracts: 518-474-4622 Expenditures: 518-402-4104 Payroll: 518-474-3400 or Email: payroll@osc.state.ny.us Accounting Operations: 518-474-4017 Financial Reporting: 518-486-1233 or Email: finrep@osc.state.ny.us State Financial Systems - FOCAS: 518-408-3125 or Email: focas@osc.state.ny.us
State Government Accountability 518-474-3271
Office of the State Deputy Comptroller for the City of New York 212-383-3900 Fax: 212-383-3901 Email: osdc@osc.state.ny.us
Pension Investment and Cash Management 518-474-4003 Fax: 518-473-9560 Email: nyscrfinvestmentproposals@osc.state.ny.us
College Savings 1-877-NYSAVES or 1-877-697-2837 Email: NY529@nysaves.org
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
East Greenbush recently fired Mike Strenka for comingling of funds and making illegal inter department loans (Water and Sewer). Strenka was the City of Schenectadys former Finance Director.....
Not saying that it isnt happening here but based on the last Balance Sheets provided by the City the Water and Sewer Departments have a very large surplus and the Operations Balance sheet is hurting.
I will make the prediction that even if the intent of this audit is to help the city, this audit will bring a lot more to the surface, such as the (while not illegal) accounting of the $141 million plus in unreferenced Employee Retirement and Health Liabiliites.
I also think that Gillins response also pissed a few people off in the Comptrollers office so this is a little gift. We will see......Soon enough.
Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid - John Wayne
TIP TO NEW VISITORS TO THIS FORUM - To improve your blogging pleasure it is recommended to ignore (Through editing your prefere) the posts of the following bloggers - DemocraticVoiceofReason, Scotsgod08 and Smoking Bananas. They continually go off topic, do not provide facts and make irrational remarks. If you do not believe me, this can be proven by their reputation scores or by a sampling of their posts.
"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."
It was evil Al not the 38 straight years of DEM morons imploding the City Council. The chickens have now come home to roost. Where is John P and the new Town Jerk? lol. Put Fat Morris and Death Ray under hot lights. Everyone knows that McCheese and his rubber stamps are total fiscal incompetents. This is happening in every NE City? Like Camden and Scranton home of Foot in Mouth Biden.
Keep working together boys but there's no more carcasses to pick over. Call in the FBI for a long delayed criminal investigation of these gonifs. Bring on Moody's downgrade costing the remaining City taxpayers even more. Nothing unusual here-monkey business as usual.
It was evil Al not the 38 straight years of DEM morons imploding the City Council. The chickens have now come home to roost. Where is John P and the new Town Jerk? lol. Put Fat Morris and Death Ray under hot lights. Everyone knows that McCheese and his rubber stamps are total fiscal incompetents. This is happening in every NE City? Like Camden and Scranton home of Foot in Mouth Biden.
Keep working together boys but there's no more carcasses to pick over. Call in the FBI for a long delayed criminal investigation of these gonifs. Bring on Moody's downgrade costing the remaining City taxpayers even more. Nothing unusual here-monkey business as usual.
Hummmm, the last time the state came in was in 2004 when the City was on the brink of insolvency? Ouch...this is going to leave a mark!
Wonder why the State didn't show up when the City refused to pay the $3 million it owed to the school district (even though McCheesy handed over $3 million to the munic golf course).
Maybe that $19 million dollar Erie Blvd project (yeah, the one that's a criminal waste of taxpayers hard earned money) will be placed on the back burner. The City has to come up with $300K first....maybe they can borrow that from Galesi, Morris or MacDonald...they seem to have LOTS of state and taxpayers money burning a hole through their pockets.
Don't get tooooo excited here folks. The state is seeing $$$$ flying into their coffers under the heading of SALES TAX!!! And the truth of the matter is...the state could give a rat's a$$ about the residential taxpayers!!! All they care about is the SALES TAX MONEY that they are getting!!
So don't get your hopes up too high! Remember...they are ALL liberal's!!!
Although I'd send in every bit of info you can get your hands on!!
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
"Approval ratings go up and down for various reasons... An example is the high post 911 support for GWB even though he could be said to be responsible for the event." --- Box A Rox '9/11 Truther'
Melania is a bimbo... she is there to look at, not to listen to. --- Box A Rox and his 'War on Women'
Logged
It was evil Al not the 38 straight years of DEM morons imploding the City Council. The chickens have now come home to roost. Where is John P and the new Town Jerk? lol. Put Fat Morris and Death Ray under hot lights. Everyone knows that McCheese and his rubber stamps are total fiscal incompetents. This is happening in every NE City? Like Camden and Scranton home of Foot in Mouth Biden. 
