The public hearing regarding the 2008 Schenectady County budget is tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 17th beginning at 6:00 p.m.  The hearing is being held on the 6th floor of the Schenectady County building (former DMV) on State Street across from Veterans' Park.  

The initial budget presented by County Manager Kathleen Rooney results in a 9.7% increase in the county tax rate.  In the county with the 10th highest county property tax rate in the entire United States of America, the residents should demand a tax DECREASE.  Be prepared for the County Legislature to present a modified budget that reduces the tax increase from 9.7% to something that they believe will be more palatable to the resident taxpayers, perhaps in the 4% to 7% range.  Don't be conditioned.  A cut to an increase is still an increase.

It is important that ALL residents of Schenectady county fill the "cheap seats" tonight to express their views and concerns pertaining to the irresponsible spending of the Democrat controlled County Legislature.  I question, though, how seriously the Legislature will consider the concerns and inputs of the public as the budget vote is scheduled for tomorrow.

It almost looks like the County Council is trying to make Schdy County the highest taxed county in the country. This is one time that we don't want to be number one.

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And remember people, especially if you're going to come and spek tonight that thisis more than a 9.7% increase. Remember that some people's property values have now gone up 50%.  So, that would be 9.7% on the original amount your house was worth last year, and then another 4.85% for the additional taxes on the new 50%, which equals a change in your actual tax bill of somewhere arond 14.55% if my figuring is right. Because remember, it's only Rotterdam that had its values go up.

I apologize, I need to correct these numbers.  I checked my re-eval and refigured.

The value of my home increased 59.459459459459% (ok, about 59 1/2%, but that's actually how it works out).  with a 9.7% country increase on my new evaluation, this will make my tax bill this year 15.4675675675676% (15.5%) higher.  And don't forget, I just got to pay another $3 on my $1700 tax bill for Schalmont (these are the estimates that they gave prior for a $100,000 evaluation).

Guess this just means that I need to go to work a few more days to get the County monkey off my back next year.

I think I know what I want to bring to the meeting tonight.  We need to name an official snack for the County Board.  And since you can't bring a pile of S*** to a meeting, as this is what we're being fed out of their mouths, I figured, instead, that we could be eating

SHOW ME THE $$ TRAIL.......

This is a disgrace! There should be NO increase what so ever. Haven't we spent enough of our tax dollar for the last 9 years (metroplex) to build up Schenectady? And that was with the promise of better paying jobs. Which in turn would lower our taxes. Instead our taxes are out of control. And Stratton votes himself in a raise. How does this man look at himself in the mirror everyday? And to add insult to injury....when we go to a city council meeting or a country legislature meeting, we are treated like the scum of the earth. IDIOTS!

Bumble, You sound cranky.....you must have gone to the County Leg budget public hearing..... Smile, when and if you really think about we have a pretty damn good life here in the USA.  Don't forget that. No bombs, no severe weather disasters, the sun shines, and we are free to post our opinions on this forum.

http://www.dailygazette.com

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SCHENECTADY COUNTY
Legislature hears comment on budget plan
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

Brad Littlefield, among a handful of citizens at Wednesday night’s public hearing on Schenectady County’s tentative $283.4 million budget for next year, would like to see government reduced.
Littlefield was one of seven people at the hearing. Three were county workers, and one asked that money be added to the spending plan, which features a $5.6 million increase in the tax levy.
The county Legislature took no action Wednesday. It will vote on the budget in a special session Oct. 25. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the sixth-floor legislative chambers of the county office building.
Legislators from both political parties have said that the projected 9.7 percent increase in the property levy is unacceptable and have vowed to reduce it. So far, however, they have revealed little on how to accomplish the cuts.
   Littlefield, of Delanson, called himself an “advocate for the taxpayer, an advocate for fiscal restraint.” After the hearing, he marveled that more people did not attend.
   During his presentation, Littlefield urged legislators to pass an austere budget that reduces the tax levy increase to zero or less. “Desperate times demand desperate actions,” he said. “A cut to an increase is still an increase.”
   Littlefield said high taxes will result in “more foreclosures and a decrease in property values.” He said he sells real estate in the county.
   He suggested eliminating money for library expansion, cutting patronage jobs, offering early retirement to the county’s 1,200-plus work force, negotiating more insurance cost-sharing and auditing the Department of Social Services.
   Littlefield said the county should focus on public safety and on repairing and maintaining infrastructure. He added that the county should ask the Metroplex Development Authority to pay for infrastructure repairs: “That’s what it’s there for.”
UNION VOICES
Joanne DeSarbo, president of the local Civil Service Employees Association, said employees are working with the county to control the cost of government.
   “We are trying to ensure costs are not passed on to taxpayers and employees,” she said.
   Patrick Burns, president of the CSEA unit representing county clerks and others, said county workers are “under constant pressure to do more with less. Please remember that the most important asset of the county is its work force, and there is no budget line that can replace them.”
   Susan Iona of the county Department of Social Services said she is concerned that the county will not fill positions to handle increased work due to the Xctasy Garcia Act of 2007. The county Legislature has directed staff not to fill positions and to find other ways to reduce costs.
   The county Legislature passed the legislation to tighten reporting procedures in cases of suspected child abuse. It is named after Xctasy Garcia, a child severely abused by her mother and boyfriend as they stayed in a local motel while receiving county welfare benefi ts. She was 4 at the time.
   The county added more staff to the department to handle the increase in abuse calls; however, the county has yet to fill 12 positions.
   County Legislature Chairwoman Susan Savage, D-Niskayuna, said the Department of Social Services is exempt from the directive.
   “We are not creating positions just so as not to fill them,” she said.
   The Rev. Phil Grigsby of the Schenectady Inner City Ministry asked legislators to place $120,000 in the tentative budget to help continue the services of JOBS Etc., a program that prepares and places people of low income into jobs. The city cut the agency’s funding this year, and a federal stopgap grant runs out this year. Without the county money, JOBS Etc. will close, Grigsby said.

  
  
  

Thanks for speaking up Brad.  You always come in prepared, unlike others (myself included).  

Also, I was challenged, and I would like to throw this challenge out to everybody.  

Here's a link to the budget on-line.  
http://www.schenectadycounty.com/content/2008%20Tentative%20Operating%20Budget.pdf

What I want is ideas to submit to the County Legislature Minority.  I would need these by Friday night so I could pull them together to get them turned in by Saturday morning.  We need ideas on how to cut $5.2 Million from this budget.  And I don't think they're looking for taking $5 or $10 from here and there.  They're looking for major cuts.  So, if people could look through this and give ideas, we can really get this going.

I personally would like to show them MANY millions of dollars that they could cut, not just 5.

The first thing the council should do is to stop the raises for the mayor and council members. The residents are being taxed into bankruptcy and they get a raise, that's ridiculous. As Brad stated cut some over-lapping jobs eliminate unnecessary costs[library expansion], and employees will have to do more with fewer people that's how the private sector copes with hard times. Stop pouring money into the 2 block area of State Street and use it where it will do the most good.

As for "being challenged".  It is too bad the Legislature resorts this tactic.  I, too, am on the receiving end of a challenge and know the feeling.  We are paying THEM to represent US and do their job.  You, nor I should have to do it for them.  I can't imagine sitting at my board table and in essence, telling a resident 'You think you're so smart, do it yourself, report back and let us know what to do'. In my opinion that is not why the legislature nor the boards of towns are there. They created the mess and they should have the knowledge or know where to obtain the knowledge to fix it. Sex Offender law?  High budget?  It was their inept creation, not ours.  I remember sitting there listening to a similar challenge, and the one thing that went through my mind was...this was your stupid idea, not mine.  Why should I have to fix it?  This way they can come back and say no one else had any bright ideas so shut up and go home.  They were just angry because you had the nerve to disagree with them and do it publicly.  They were trying to make a fool of you.  That was how I felt anyway.  

K,

Who issued the challenge?  Was it made in sincerity by someone who values and welcomes your inputs and insight or by one who wants to silence your dissention?

I guess that's what the County Council does when they don't know what else to do, let the people solve their own problems.

Actually, they were looking for you also, but you must have already headed off.

I guess I'm the one that put it up as a challenge, but I was pulled into a caucus with Ms. Lazzari, Mr. Farley and Mr. Buhrmaster.  They are all doing the same thing, looking for ideas. They will then compile these, look to see what the best ideas are and bring them to the rest of the board as possibilities to save money for the county and therefore the residents.

I guess they're challenging themselves, but they're also reaching out for ideas from the community, as the other side NEVER would do that.  I guess they're looking for citizen input on what / where they think that the cuts can be made.

Does that sound better than saying "it's up to you to find where to cut it?"

I offered, thinking that the people who regularly (and not so regularly) come to this forum are (for the most part) well into knowing what is going on (or workin on learning more) and may have some beneficial input on where they think cutbacks can be made and what areas may be overfunded.

Mr. Farley issued the challenge, giving it not only to me, but to himself and the others that are sitting on the Legislature from the Republican Party.

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Actually, they were looking for you also, but you must have already headed off.

I guess I'm the one that put it up as a challenge, but I was pulled into a caucus with Ms. Lazzari, Mr. Farley and Mr. Buhrmaster.  They are all doing the same thing, looking for ideas. They will then compile these, look to see what the best ideas are and bring them to the rest of the board as possibilities to save money for the county and therefore the residents.

I guess they're challenging themselves, but they're also reaching out for ideas from the community, as the other side NEVER would do that.  I guess they're looking for citizen input on what / where they think that the cuts can be made.

Does that sound better than saying "it's up to you to find where to cut it?"

I offered, thinking that the people who regularly (and not so regularly) come to this forum are (for the most part) well into knowing what is going on (or workin on learning more) and may have some beneficial input on where they think cutbacks can be made and what areas may be overfunded.

That sheds a different light on it compared to the challenge put forth to me.  The republican minority is actually asking for input not a challenge.