City has enough cash to ensure it can meet its own codes
How is it that Schenectady has an $8 million surplus, has been quietly buying up property around the old United Plating building — even threatening eminent domain against a property owner — yet cannot afford to bring its own properties up to code? What about all the savings that have been claimed? The vehicle maintenance deal with the county that was so good for us? The returns on the investment into downtown that Metroplex gave and the taxpayers made? Why can’t some of that money be used to secure these eyesores? And there’s the interest rate savings on the heavy debt load we have and the fees and fines taken from existing code scofflaws. What about cutting the mayor’s gasoline bill for his gas-guzzling Jeep? And the cell phone bill for the city? Put some of that money into securing the city’s dilapidated buildings, or better yet, tear them down. This city should reevaluate its priorities. The city council should be on top of all of this as they are the people in control of the budget. Yet they spend their time coming up with a magic marker law? They spend their time with legislation that’s either incorrect or unenforceable? And [Commissioner of General Services] Carl Olsen says that the people of this city ignore the codes, so therefore the city can too? Unbelievable! Take some money out of the law department’s budget to fi x up or tear down the very buildings that could very well end up being the cause for future lawsuits. At least bring them up to code so we the people know how to do it right. PAT ZOLLINGER Schenectady
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PatZ
June 17, 2007, 6:47am
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You can bet this city DOES have enough cash now. And our DEBT has been increased substantially to ensure that Brian Stratton has a resume. >
Fix those properties! Stop being a slum property owner!
I think that the city of Schenectady is putting too much of their money into that downtown area while the rest of the city is just falling apart. It almost reminds me of New Orlenes. Those poor people lived in poverty while the city was flourishing. That is what I think Schenectady is like.
Where's all the money that should be going to the rest of the towns in Schdy County for the improvement of their infrastructure instead of pouring all the money into downtown Schdy.
That willl be Stratton's legacy....DOWN TOWN! Like I said before...Rotterdam will get nothing as long as it is run by the reps. That's just the way it works!
All of the 'concerned' Rotterdam residents should attend some city council meetings and county legislature meetings. I mean flood the meeting rooms. And all get up to speak on how we feel. That would scare the b'Jesus outta them!
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
Would if I could. Don't even know when they are and if I can clear my schedule for it.
Council meetings are the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Tuesday if the Monday is a holiday.
Council committee meetings are the first and third Monday of each month. They get a fifth Monday of the Month off.
Just to let you all know, the council couldn't care less what anyone has to say. You'd be sitting on hard benches and the sound at times is hit and miss. If the AC is on (a window unit) forget it. You'll still be hot and can't hear.
Much better to write letters to the editor of the gazette. It may or may not get printed but you'd have a better chance of being heard. Forgotten quickly but heard.
What about attending the 'County Legislature' meetings? I mean they are our representatives, right?
As far as the city council....they truly don't care about the people. That is more than obvious!
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
The county meetings are in the County Office Building, Veeder & Albany St. Where the Parole Office is. I'm not sure what time but I'll be you can call the county clerk (Woodward) to get the when's and whereto's.
I've never been to a County Meeting but I attended one memorable Metroplex meeting. Good luck. Hope you succeed.
I emailed Kent Gray a few times with my concerns and they were never responded to. And now he is going for an even higher position that will make him even farther from the 'people'. They all seem to be so detached from the everyday people that foot the bill!
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
That willl be Stratton's legacy....DOWN TOWN! Like I said before...Rotterdam will get nothing as long as it is run by the reps. That's just the way it works!
All of the 'concerned' Rotterdam residents should attend some city council meetings and county legislature meetings. I mean flood the meeting rooms. And all get up to speak on how we feel. That would scare the b'Jesus outta them!
I cant wait to see his star on the walkway.......his name will be somewhere......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
City’s trash user fee worth debating as it has air of unfairness BY PAT ZOLLINGER For The Sunday Gazette
Election season is fast approaching and, with the promises made by incumbent and future candidates, the current issues should be dealt with, debated and re-examined. All candidates support lower taxes, lower cost and efficiency in our government and safer neighborhoods, yet our taxes and fees in the city of Schenectady keep rising, the cost of government keeps rising and our neighborhoods are not getting safer. The trash fee that Mayor Stratton and the City Council passed and implemented starting in 2005 is one such issue that needs debating, and it’s a current one because we still have it. EXAMINING THE FLAWS The fee was imposed midterm. It wasn’t talked about prior to the mayor’s election but instead was written up as an ordinance and applied over the objections of many people, under the guise of the previous administration’s mismanagement. Yes, there was mismanagement, but there were other extenuating factors, such as the tenfold increase in retirement payments due from our city after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the resulting stock market crash. Now that fiscal soundness, good bond ratings and budget surpluses have been reclaimed, this trash fee should become part of the coming campaign because there are fl aws in its effectiveness and its implementation. And we should all know that “Moody’s” doesn’t care where the money comes in from, just that it does. Mayor Stratton used a suggestion written in the February 2004 City of Schenectady Audit, to give the taxpayers “relief from high property taxes” by charging everyone who uses the city’s garbage collection. It was suggested in the audit because the city’s trash collectors were picking up all trash left on the street, whether by not-for-profi ts and churches that are tax-exempt, or larger multi-unit apartment houses and businesses that do pay property taxes but by ordinance are supposed to have their trash picked up by a commercial trash collector. SHORTCOMINGS It is claimed to be a “user fee” but it doesn’t conform to any other user fees because its usage is not measured. And it only applies to one-, two- and three-unit residential property owners. There is no “pay as you throw” method in conjunction with this garbage fee. So a “unit household” that practices trash conservation is actually paying more as opposed to heavy trash producers. And there’s no incentive for any household to reduce its garbage output, thereby saving money and our environment. There also exists the very real problem of households that have families and friends living elsewhere having to pay separately for garbage collection, leaving their trash to be picked up at our expense. I know of several households that do just that, and I’ve also witnessed people leaving trash on the curb from their vehicles. They just stop, open up the trunk and drop the plastic bags on the street in front of any house. On July 4, 2004, The Sunday Gazette published a Viewpoint columnn by Mayor Stratton titled “Trash fee will fix inequality in charges.” Unfortunately the inequality in charges had nothing to do with trash production, but rather a total tax assessed on any particular property. Mayor Stratton added the total proposed fees to the taxes paid on various households, giving a higher percentage of taxes (and fees) to be paid on a per-unit basis. He said that two- and three-family homes are normally assessed lower than single-family homes while producing more trash, and that this would bring their taxes more in line with everyone else’s. But that’s not how a “user fee” works. A user fee is based on use and there is no way that garbage output can be measured on a per residential unit basis. There could be two people living independently in a two-family house who could be producing far less trash than seven people living in a single family house. But the “total tax” logic sounds good for the bottom line, even though it’s nothing more than smoke and mirrors. NO TRUE MEASUREMENT In any case, as a start, the trash fee collected in the city of Schenectady should be allocated to its own fund and budget, with total garbage production taken into account even without an actual usage measurement. And even though the Water Fund, the Sewer Fund and the Golf Fund do have such a measurement — by toilet, faucet or address — each of these funds shows their own income and expenses, and measurements can be taken to their effectiveness as well as shortcomings. That’s how we know that our municipal golf course is making money. But at present, the $2.9 million trash fee collected each year gets dumped into the General Fund and all the expenses for trash collection and removal get taken from it. We don’t know if trash collection is equitable, if it’s efficient or even if it’s a function that our local government should be handing over to private businesses. There are a lot of different categories in our General Fund budget that hide the true cost from the public. And while the cost of garbage collector wages is insignificant, the cost of health benefits and retirement, of fuel, maintenance and replacement of garbage and recycling trucks, insurance, and having a dump (the transfer station) inside our city lines are all important factors in deciding how our city should operate efficiently. The trash fee is an important issue for homeowners in the city. Address it in a responsible manner as to whether it should be continued in its current form or redeveloped into its own budget fund or even eliminated. That way, the real cost of garbage in our community can be measured for performance and efficiency, and as to whether we should even do it ourselves.
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