Quoted from GrahamBonnet

Until they consolidate and suck the $$$ out of Nisk/Rott to pay the city's bills

They wouldn't put up with it. There are a lot of very powerful people living in Niskayuna.
We don't need a single thing that Schenectady has to offer.
We don't even remotely need any help from their horrific police department, and we sure as hell don't want any of Schenectady's high school students.

Homes still sell in Niskyayuna.

Tommy

How about telling Nisky people to stay out of City when they drive through to buy drugs - they provide part of the demand that causes problems in the City

Nisky kids take classes at Schdy High

Build your own Proctors and stay out of the restaurants

Golub's HQ is in the City as well as one of its' main local stores

Horrible PD - doubt you'd be able to do the job

BTW - SPD trainers are very involved in training police recruits, including Nisky

And, I doubt the stores on Balltown Road would be survive, but for a lot of city residents shopping there.

Consolidation - but for a few services - this is just something for people to pass the time talking about.  

Municipalities and suburbs have no compelling reasions to consolidate.  

But fior the Count boundaries - you coiuld make an argument merging Nisky and Colonie.  Do you really need to govermental units to run both of those towns.

Did McCheese flunk a math course in high school? He proposes a big $294,000 in cuts to close his $10 million DEM deficit. No action on vehicles, no action on enforcing the residency laws {or replacing them}, no action to consolidate anything. Let Lumpy take over the City parks as part of DEM morons working together. Then he will have less time to rip down political signs.

Nisky taxpayers have been getting screwed by working together idiots for years. The don't get a fair share of Metrograft projects or sales tax revenue and no one says nuthin. We will see how great Landry does next week- lol.

Quoted from visitor

And, I doubt the stores on Balltown Road would be survive, but for a lot of city residents shopping there.

Consolidation - but for a few services - this is just something for people to pass the time talking about.  

Municipalities and suburbs have no compelling reasions to consolidate.  

But fior the Count boundaries - you coiuld make an argument merging Nisky and Colonie.  Do you really need to govermental units to run both of those towns.

Now your talking visitor.  Time for the rest to pay their fair share.

Quoted from visitor

Tommy
BTW - SPD trainers are very involved in training police recruits, including Nisky

I'm sorry, I thought long and hard before I typed a response to this, but this statement, many probably didn't notice, scares the hell out of me.

That's beacuse you have no idea what you're talking about.

You confuse bad acts of ome means the entire department does not perform. SPD is faced with a workload comparable to Albany and they have 200 less officers.

Quoted from visitor

SPD is faced with a workload comparable to Albany and they have 200 less officers.

That's probably because it's top heavy - too many sitting behind desks, or taking their time getting INTO the City.  Just look at the number on disability & leave.  Now look at the percentages between officers and administration.  It's pathetic.

Quoted from visitor

That's beacuse you have no idea what you're talking about.

You confuse bad acts of ome means the entire department does not perform. SPD is faced with a workload comparable to Albany and they have 200 less officers.

Targeted enforcement is based on the actions of some.

Quoted from visitor

And, I doubt the stores on Balltown Road would be survive, but for a lot of city residents shopping there.

Consolidation - but for a few services - this is just something for people to pass the time talking about.  

Municipalities and suburbs have no compelling reasions to consolidate.  

But fior the Count boundaries - you coiuld make an argument merging Nisky and Colonie.  Do you really need to govermental units to run both of those towns.

We were under the impression that our city leaders wanted us to shop LOCALLY, as in in the CITY, to help our struggling shop owners.   The increased amounts of sales tax revenue in turn shows the County that the City deserves more of the County sales tax revenue, because it is generating their fair share.   As it now stands the City has 42% of the County population, but proportionetly receives less County funds than the outlying areas.   This fact attributed to Councilman Carl Erikson at a recent City Council Comm. Mtg.   This is only another reason why the residency requirement for City employees should be enforced.   If they lived here they would shop here more and pay more sales tax on items/services, not to mention property taxes.   This would further substantiate the argument for more county $$$$$ assistance to the City based on a proportional basis.

Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY
Sources: Officials gamble to fill city budget deficit
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    With few choices remaining, city officials are basing next year’s budget on revenues so risky the state Comptroller’s Office has advised against it.
    “We have no choice but to look to these extreme measures, things we’re never done before, to balance the books,” said city Councilman and Finance Committee Chairman Carl Erikson. “We’re so tight, we’re down to scratching pennies from the kiddie jar.”
    Actually, a kiddie jar would be less risky than what the city has planned, according to the state.
    Offi cials are reviewing the city’s finances and plan to make a full report soon, with recommendations and suggestions. But two sources who are familiar with the review say it comes down to one basic problem: the city is balancing its budget on guesses and hopes.
    The state Comptroller’s Offi ce is advising the city to stop relying on “uncertain” revenues, according to the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
    Mayor Gary McCarthy is developing his budget, which will be given to the City Council on Oct. 1. His director of operations, William Winkler, acknowledged the problem with uncertain revenue.
    “We have some initiatives that are going to help, we just don’t know how much,” he said.
LONG SHOTS
    Those initiatives include selling some of the houses taken in foreclosure last week, selling water to Niskayuna, and taking in sewage sludge from customers outside the city.
    “But none of those have kicked in yet,” Winkler said. “I’m concerned. We have some major issues to overcome.”
    Both Winkler and Erikson said the city has to close a $5 million to $6 million deficit to balance the 2013 budget. McCarthy said he thinks the deficit will be paid off by the end of 2013 — but he won’t know until next year what mix of revenues will be raised to pay it off.
    That’s the problem, Winkler said: the city doesn’t know how much it will raise in new revenue. Yet Schenectady must, somehow, raise enough to close the deficit next year. Cities are not supposed to carry a defi cit from year to year.
    So Schenectady has to hope the new initiatives work out, Winkler said.
    “I know it may look like we’re looking at uncertain revenue, but it may be what we have to do now,” he said, “because we have nothing else.”
    McCarthy has taken some of the traditional steps: He’s asked the council for permission to eliminate seven jobs, and he’s asked department heads to cut their budgets by 8.5 percent.
    The police and fire departments are already close to meeting that cut, he said. Public safety is the biggest cost in the budget.
    The job cuts might not lead to layoffs — McCarthy said he wants to eliminate supervisory positions, letting people “bump” downward. The fi nal workers bumped would be pushed into vacant positions loading garbage trucks, so they would not be out of a job — if they chose to take it.
    McCarthy said he thinks those job cuts improve the city, rather than hurting services.
    “We’ve got a lot more supervisors than we need,” he said.
    The police department would also end up with one less command staffer when Chief Mark Chaires retires. McCarthy wouldn’t say whether he’ll eliminate an assistant chief or the chief’s position — but there will be one fewer commander next year.
TAXING DILEMMA
    However, City Hall workers afraid of massive layoffs were hoping for one big improvement in the city’s revenue: sales tax.
    The city has always received roughly $11 million of the county sales tax. When the countywide sales tax began in 1989, the county kept $13.4 million, while the city got $11.4 million. This year, the county is collecting $90 million, while the city will get $11.2 million.
    Some city workers were incensed when a majority of the City Council agreed to a $500,000 increase in the sales tax distribution. They argued that the city should get far more than $11.7 million — perhaps as much as $20 million. They complained that they would lose their jobs, or be forced to work harder to make up for other layoffs, while the county would continue to rake in the bulk of the sales tax money.
    Speaking anonymously, the two sources said the city needed a much higher amount of sales tax because it is guaranteed revenue — unlike home sales. They criticized the City Council’s decision as a missed opportunity. But McCarthy said the county couldn’t afford to give up millions in sales tax revenue.
    “The county doesn’t have a lot of money. They’re under pressure,” he said. “Yes, it would be nice if we got $5 million, but the money isn’t there.”
    Erikson disagreed. In the last two years, sales tax has increased by $8 million — all of which the county kept.
    “They’re not in trouble,” he said. “The repercussion is the city tax, which subsidizes all the county infrastructure, is higher. We’ve been getting $25,000 increases [in sales tax] while they’ve gotten millions. We’re not even seeing the sales tax benefit of what Metroplex has done.”
    By his calculations, a fair distribution would give the city $19 million, instead of $11.7 million, a $7.3 million increase.
    “That would solve that problem,” Erikson said of fi lling the defi cit.
    Then, if the city’s other initiatives brought in some cash, the extra money could be used to lower taxes.
    “Now you’ve got $4 million, $5 million extra. You’re seeing a significant, double-digit reduction in property tax,” he said.
    The council is set to vote on the new sales tax contract Monday. It would give the city $11.7 million, plus about $215,000 in extras, next year.
    It would allow the city to get more money if the county collects more in sales tax in future years. If the sales tax revenue goes up 3 percent, the city’s $11.7 million will be increased by 3 percent. ............................>>>>....................>>>>........................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00102&AppName=1

The State rips McCheese and his nonexistent "plan". Bring in the State Control Board and call the Bankruptcy Judge. What about the kids? The City DEMS have stolen $3 MILLION from the City kids to balance the books. Where are the DEM defenders? Where are the idiots that said to vote for him over proven administrator Roger Hull? Next up Moody's report on the City. Massive layoffs for the public employees. Are you stupid?

Top heavy - not sure you understand what the workload is.  

Sitting behind desks does not mean not working - and if eliminatedhalf fo the comamdn staff positions - you will get three more officers.  PD is using an AC to do HR because city declined to use a civilian about 4-5 years back.

Quoted from visitor

Top heavy - not sure you understand what the workload is.  

Sitting behind desks does not mean not working - and if eliminatedhalf fo the comamdn staff positions - you will get three more officers.  PD is using an AC to do HR because city declined to use a civilian about 4-5 years back.

Then tell us this:

How many officers are on patrol for any given shift?  3? 10? 50?

How many "support" officers / administration are NOT on patrol? 5? 20? 100?

How many officers / CO's does it take to run the city lockup?  1? 10? 50?  (an effort duplicated less than a mile away by the County)

How many civilians working for the PD?

How many SPD officers are involved with union duties?

I won't even get into wages/salaries - that's not the issue.  The issue is, there's not enough officers on the streets.  I'm not saying I expect Chaires to be out on Patrol, but he SHOULD be putting his face into the community, making a presence at neighborhood events, etc - as the Chief.

Before you answer,  I already know the answers to most of my questions, but I'd like others on this blog to hear an "official" response.