Quoted from senders

talking to a few of my Guyanese friends who are 'new' to the city.....they are NOT HAPPY

The ones who have been here a while are starting to up and leave.  In fact I suspect they will be the first to go.  They aren't afraid to move.  

Went over by HVCC the other day and the place was impressive.  Partnering with RPI and having a plan works.  SCCCs leaders don't know what the school wants to be yet and are paying a consultant to do that for them but are ready to spend $20 to $30 million to expand. Even if they had the best plan in the world we are broke.  $50 million on the nursing home sealed away any chance of that.  $50 million for 200 beds draining money or $25 million benefiting thousands and educating.  If SCCC teamed more with Union it would thrive.

Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY COUNTY
Big tax levy hike stalls budget deal
Legislators hearing public opposition
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter


    County legislators held back on approving the proposed 2013 budget after they couldn’t agree on whether to advance a spending plan carrying a 7.49 percent increase to the tax levy.
    Legislators abruptly cancelled Wednesday’s scheduled meeting to consider the budget after receiving criticism from a number of residents and business owners during the public hearing on the spending plan Monday. The meeting wasn’t rescheduled and instead, the Legislature’s Democratic super majority met in caucus to discuss what comes next.
    “We are still examining and reviewing the budget and deliberating as to what actions should be taken,” said Philip Fields, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. “We haven’t reached any sort of conclusion at this point, so we’re delaying the budget vote.”
    Legislators have until the end of the month to approve the budget, but need to give the public at least two days’ notice to schedule a special meeting. That leaves them with about 12 days to mull any amendments that might reduce the size of the tax levy increase to one that is closer to the state-imposed 2.95 percent tax cap, which they voted to override late last month.
    The Legislature hosted a number of public review sessions earlier this month, during which the budget was reviewed line by line. Though some legislators questioned the reasoning behind certain expenses, few identifi ed substantive cuts.
    Reducing the spending to meet the state tax cap won’t be easy without job or program cuts. Reducing the tax levy increase by 1 percent requires roughly $644,000 in cuts, meaning the Legislature would need to shed more than $2.92 million to come beneath the cap.
    Some county offi cials claim state mandates make up about 78 percent of the $296 million spending plan, meaning they would need to cut popular human services and programs to substantially drop the tax levy.
BUHRMASTER DISSENTS
    At least one other legislator wasn’t buying it. James Buhrmaster, the Legislature’s lone Republican, said the county has plenty of areas that could be chopped.
    He said positions such a county auditor, spokesman, and special assistant to the commissioner of Social Services for Youth Development could all be trimmed with little impact.
    But above all, Buhrmaster targeted the Glendale Home as an area the county could slash to help balance the budget. He said the county’s nursing home is like a budget hemorrhage and should be handed over to the private sector, where it could be operated more effi ciently.
    Buhrmaster is now considering whether he should offer his own set of budget amendments in advance of the super majority scheduling the new date to consider the budget. But with 13 of 15 legislators enrolled Democrats, he doubted his opinion would get much consideration. Rotterdam’s Holly Vellano is a Conservative but caucuses with the Democrats.
    Still, Buhrmaster sees discord among the majority. He noted that two Democrats and the Conservative joined him in opposing the tax cap override last month, meaning only four other legislators would need to have reservations about the proposed budget to potentially derail its passage. ..................>>>>...............>>>>.................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01503&AppName=1

Quoted Text

Reducing the spending to meet the state tax cap won’t be easy without job or program cuts. Reducing the tax levy increase by 1 percent requires roughly $644,000 in cuts, meaning the Legislature would need to shed more than $2.92 million to come beneath the cap.

For starters, cut out the $200,000 given to Philip Morris for his lavish salary.   It is NOT a state mandate!

If he wants such a salary, let him pay himself out of Proctor's own budget.  Morris should do what normal business people do, make cuts or raise prises.   If he does either and he fails, oh well.   Then maybe a new CEO will come in and get paid an appropriate, normal, modest "Schenectady salary."

Why do taxpayers pay Morris more salary than they pay the person who sits in the position of the CEO of the whole state of NY (governor) ??  

Now, it's down to needing to cut $444,000 to get below the "cap" though even more can be cut to keep the tax BILL increase to less than 2.95%

these others have no balls

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

these others have no balls

$200,000 or more is like jesus going on a 'vacation' to the hills before presenting himself to the followers...

deserving? are they jesus? are they Mohamed? or whomever? for the good of the sheople?

Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY COUNTY
Budget likely to top tax cap
Speaker: Legislature will weigh cuts to services, personnel
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Democrats in the county Legislature’s supermajority will contemplate a package of cuts to reduce the tax levy in the proposed 2013 county budget but are likely to pass a spending plan that still exceeds the state-mandated cap, a legislator said.
    Majority speaker Gary Hughes believes the Democrats will have enough votes to adopt a budget that carries less of a burden on taxpayers, but will still increase the tax levy more than the 2.95 percent allowed under the state’s tax cap. He declined to discuss what the levy would be if the amendment is adopted or where the budget would be trimmed, other than to say the cuts will pertain to both services and personnel.
    “There will certainly be some changes in some as- Share your pects of county government,” thoughts he said Monday. on this story
    County legislators are ex- at daily pected to take up the amend- gazette.com ment during a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. today . The Legislature still has until the end of the month to pass the budget and could conceivably put off a vote until later this week or early next week.
    Still, Hughes anticipates there being enough support among legislators to pass an amended spending plan. He acknowledged the budget process has been difficult this year, due to the mounting pressure to keep tax increases low and the increase in demand for county services amid the still-sluggish economy,
    “You have a lot of factors coming into this year’s budget,” he said.
    Reducing the tax levy increase by 1 percent requires roughly $644,000 in cuts, meaning the Legislature would need to shed more than $2.92 million to come in beneath the cap. Some county officials claim state mandates make up about 78 percent of the $296 million spending plan, meaning they would need to cut popular human services and programs to substantially drop the tax levy.
‘UNACCEPTABLE’
    James Buhrmaster, the Legislature’s lone Republican, doesn’t intend to support a budget that exceeds the tax cap and plans to oppose the rumored 5.9 percent tax levy increase he’s heard the majority will propose today. He said the increase is still more than most residents will be able to handle, especially in the city, where a 4.18 percent increase was initially proposed.
    “That’s still unacceptable and it should be unacceptable,” he said. “Anyone who is in business — and in particular in the city — it’s a killer.”
    Buhrmaster also won’t be submitting any amendments to the budget as the minority has done in past years. This is largely because he doesn’t believe anyone among the Legislature’s 13 Democrats and one Conservative would second his changes, allowing the full body to vote on them.
    Buhrmaster has suggested presenting a 5 percent cut across the board to all county depart- ments. He’s also advocated for either selling or privatizing the county nursing home so that a large budgetary drain could be stopped.
    Buhrmaster speculated the budget vote could be close, considering the dissension he’s heard from the majority caucus. He said some legislators understand they can’t present such a marked increase in taxes at this time.
    “There are a lot of people who know this is not something we can do,” he said. “We have got to start paring away at the size of our Schenectady County government,” he said.

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00900&AppName=1

Subtract the $200,000 given to Proctors for Morris' salary
Subtract the $ 33,935 written about yesterday

There's a savings of $233,935


  

IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT THE LEVY.....

THE FULL MONTY

Quoted Text

Schenecatdy County passes budget with 5.9% tax hike
Minority says cuts are too little too late, supporters point finger at state.By Charles Wiff
As of Tuesday, October 23, 2012 -8:18 p.m.

.#SCHENECTADY COUNTY — The Schenectady County Legislature adopted a 2013 budget tonight smaller than the spending plan previously on the table, but with a tax hike still too large for some lawmakers.

#The budget was adopted in a 9-6 vote, totals $295.5 million and carries with it a 5.9 percent increase to the property tax levy. County officials had previously floated a budget with a tax hike of 7.5 percent that was widely panned by residents, businesses and nonprofit groups during a required public hearing.

#Legislators who supported the budget pointed the finger at the state early and often, saying after accounting for unfunded mandates there were few options left for cuts. In fact, a package of amendments to the budget included in it a call to state lawmakers for local relief from Medicaid costs.

#“There is little left to cut, which means we had to cut from non-mandated areas,” said Majority Leader Gary Hughes when presenting the amendments. He further described the selected cutbacks as “overdue.”....................................>>>>..................................>>>>...............................http://www.spotlightnews.com/news/2012/oct/23/county-passes-budget-59-tax-hike/

Thank you DEM morons! Working together to drive out all small businesses and give connected millionaires never ended tax exemptions. Keep re-electing the same DEMS and expect
different results. Highest taxes, most half wits on the County payroll, worst County services, most non-mandated DSS expenses.

It isn't hard at all to stay below the cap.

Start laying people off. The government employs too many people.

Take the top 30 wage earners and eliminate their jobs. That would save over 3 million dollars.

The work would then be performed by lower paid employees.

Also the massive pensions that the top wage earners will receive will not be something the city could ever afford.

If you lay off the lower paid employees, you would need to lay off over 125 people to get the same savings.

ATF verse City

County verse City

School verse the City

Police verse the City

Attorneys verse the City

I wasn't present at the meeting, but looking at the list of those who supposedly represent us, I can give you my list of who I think voted against this insane budget.

First, I would guarantee that Jim Buhrmaster and Angelo Santabarbara voted against it.  Buhrmaster, because the budget is insane and Santabarbara, so he can continue the fact that the votes were counted prior, so he can still say he never voted for raising taxes.  

The rest is speculation, but I would guess that maybe Holly Vellano and Michael Petta, as veterans on the board, voted against it, and Bob Hoffman and Thomas Constantine, as people who need the name recognition in the voting booth next year will be able to come out and say they voted against it.  If anybody finds out, it would be a great piece of information to have.

Actually Petta never has the guts to do the right thing. Sadly, he is afraid of scorn and retribution. He is a perfect example of a nice person who is afraid to stand up because someone might give him a dirty look, scowl at him, or raise his assessment. I guess they will stop holding their ziti dinners there too. Iamgine how afraid he would be if they could shoot him or jail him? He would be wetting his pants in public every day.

However, as he follows them with his mouth shut- he seals his family business's own fate in the long run as the city and county are the laughing stock of the state.