Quoted from benny salami

Could not agree more Bumble. But don't say it can't get worse. County spending is out of control. What are the County Legislators doing? Begging the broke State? Know this is off topic but here is a 4 step plan to save Schenectady County.

1. Eliminate all non-mandated DSS programs.
2. 10% across the Board layoff of County Employees.
3. Redirect half of Metroplex money to the General Fund.
4. Close all City branch libraries.

  This would save the County Home, save the County and result in a Property Tax decrease COUNTYWIDE of 5%. If all 4 steps are not taken we are looking at a property tax disaster. No increase in County tax is acceptable. We are already looking at huge increases in School and Local taxes. Look forward to other suggestions on how to avoid a housing value melt down.

- Cut back on some of the taxpaid benefits to ALL of the public workers. Up their co-pays and increase their contributions to their health care like private sector businesses do.

- Get rid of Kosiur's created taxpaid position

- Suggest to Mayor Stratton that he give back his last taxpaid raise. (the sheeple will love him for that)

- Get rid of ALL non essential taxpaid public employee jobs

- The plex should put a hold on any new developments and then FORCE the existing proposed projects to 'open for business' in a certain allotted time or the plex's taxpaid loans will be called.

- Reform the taxpaid DSS system. Get rid of some of their taxpaid employees.

- Put in place a mandate for ALL public dept heads to go over each of their employees job description. Lay off the taxpaid fluff and taxpaid patronage jobs.

Anyone who gets laid off should have no problem getting a new private sector job. The city boasts continuously that there are 'jobs a plenty' out there.

I talked to some good sources today and everything is not what it seems over there. The state makes the county do most of these things so there isnt a way to stop the tax increase from what they tell me here friends. We have a GUN that Tedisco and Farley are pointing at our heads and I was told tonight that if we vote Amedore out then more aid will be coming but we hurt ourselves over here for the guy who said the change would come. Now he went to put the money into Metrolplex this year and stabbed Angelo in th eback on it and I say we should show him that he isnt priceless to have in there

Did the state mandate Kosiur's position? Did the state mandate the million dollar playground? Did the state mandate Stratton's huge pay raise? Did the state mandate the metroplex? Did the state mandate what the public employees pay toward their health insurance? Did the state mandate the DSIC?

And Tedisco and Farley only point guns at the heads of 'politicians' in their own party....right? As far a 'no change' coming from Amedore...well there is no change coming from any rep out there. They still haven't learned how to get elected!

Quoted from bumblethru

- Cut back on some of the taxpaid benefits to ALL of the public workers. Up their co-pays and increase their contributions to their health care like private sector businesses do.

As a current State Employee, I can say that our copays and healthcare contributions are not as low as private sector employees tend to want to believe.  I worked for a number of years in the prvate sector as well and have seen a very small difference in the amount I contribute.  

Dont take this personally crash, but there is quite a difference between the public and private sector jobs/benefits. The difference is that the public sector benefits are paid by US, THE TAXPAYER.

Besides health care cost to the taxpayer, there is also the issue of state workers receiving their retirement and NOT having to claim it as income...for the rest of their lives and ours.

• Suspend or cancel planned construction projects for county buildings.
  
• Redirect the funds pledged to the construction of the "circle to nowhere" for use in repairing our decaying infrastructure.
  
• Discontinue awards to the City of Schenectady for extravagent projects like million dollar playgrounds
  
• Eliminate the county summer day camp program and other such programs that are already offered by not-for-profits
  
• Reduce grants to not-for-profits that do not serve the public need (e.g., Proctor's Theater).  Proctor's must become self-supporting.  If Mr. Morris cannot achieve this, then either the business model or the management must be changed.
  
• Promote consolidation of not-for-profits that serve the needs of the poor, the homelesss, etc.  Funding should be awarded based on tangible and measureable benefits.
  
• Identify fraud and abuse to mandated public services.  Incent county workers to expose fraud and abuse with cost savings awards when fraudulent claim payments have been recovered.
  
• Eliminate patronage positions created by both major parties.  If this won't be done, then
  
• Disband the County Legislature in favor of a Board of Supervisors
  

There are many other areas that can be identified for potential savings.  The county government must discontinue the giveaways to their favorite causes, contractors, and campaign contributors.

Leadership during difficult times requires courage and conviction by our elected representatives.  An austerity budget is needed.  Don't look for our county "leaders" to make the tough choices.  They have already discounted the possibility of needed reductions to the size and scope of local government.

Eliminate the recently created position of Schenectady County Legislature Communications Director.  It is an unnecessary expense and institutes a layer of bureacracy between the Legislature and the public.  If memory serves, the position has a annual salary of ~$60K plus benefits.

Quoted from 221

As a current State Employee, I can say that our copays and healthcare contributions are not as low as private sector employees tend to want to believe.  I worked for a number of years in the prvate sector as well and have seen a very small difference in the amount I contribute.  

That may be correct as far as medical is concerned.  The State has upped employee contribution in recent years.  I still think the deductibles and co-pays are less than the average private sector company offers.  But I have yet to find a private sector job that allows their employees to accrue 200 hrs of sick time, carrying it over year to year.  I would be interested how it is payed out, whether they pay the sick time based on the average wage while accruing the time, or at the rate at which they are currently making when using it..  

How dose the state effectively manage its labor with many employees having different amounts of payed time off year to year?  Most private companies have a use it or lose it policy when dealing with payed sick and personal time.  So they can more easily manage labor costs, and productivity.

The state or county and local governments aren't profit driven, so costs and productivity is the least of their concerns.    


http://www.goer.state.ny.us/CNA/current/dc37rrsu/67art12.html

As far as health care plans for the employees of the state, I'd be willing to lay money down right now that they have a better benefit plan than I do overall...and I work for the health care company.  I bet you win, copay by copay, deductible by deductible, coinsurance by coinsurance.

well I heard from some people who came to see me that are indeed involved and I asked some of these here questions and since these here people are in that loop they were able to explain that this stuff even if you did away with it would indeed not scratch the surface of this budget problem over there. The problem is that we elected Tedisc, Amedore, Farley and no demos and so now the state is punishing us over here and the solution would be to stop the one sided party thing and put Mark on the assembly seat that Tonko once had who was able to keep us out of the pichaloo but now we went and upset the apple cart and all of a sudden we have this her problem with the lack of the state money coming down to help us and only we as the voters here can fix it and make it right by dropping Georgie A like a hot potato then we can get trhe tax cuts we need. I am a true conserv and dont like to put a liberal in but if that is what we need to stop the bleeding and keep the seniors in the homes and that there, then I am ready and willing to change up and get some more demos in power to help the county taxpayers and of course our own wallets there.

Quoted from bumblethru

- Suggest to Mayor Stratton that he give back his last taxpaid raise. (the sheeple will love him for that)


Did the state mandate Stratton's huge pay raise?

Can you reconcile this suggestion with your arguments supporting pay raises for the Rotterdam Town Board members?

Quoted from benny salami

1. Eliminate all non-mandated DSS programs.
2. 10% across the Board layoff of County Employees.
3. Redirect half of Metroplex money to the General Fund.
4. Close all City branch libraries.


Close the libraries?  Really?  I view that as probably my single (only?) benefit of paying county tax.  Convince me.

I would counter-offer.  Release the library from county control and let the library system through the county go private.