I don't object to spending an additional $100,000 of the fund balance - they already were planning to spend
$1.5 million of the fund balance anyway.    HOWEVER --  anyone who believes that the fund balance should
be spent down to $0  ... doesn't have a clue how to run a municipality's finances.  It sounds nice on paper
to say "spend down the fund balance"  -- but would you go spend down your savings and checking accounts
to $0  ????    

The fact is that even though they kept the tax increase to 3.6% -- the town STILL has a STRUCTURAL
DEFICIT.    We have just punted the problem down a few more years --- and not one person on the Town
Board showed a 5 year plan to get us out of this mess.  
John Paolino prepared everyone one of his budgets with a rolling 5 year plan in mind.  Budget making is
NOT a short term, quick fix ... it takes sound and prudent planning.   John Paolino was IMHO the best Town
Supervisor that this town has had.   I would hope that the Town Board would seek out his counsel in
developing a 5 year plan and shaping the 2012 budget in tune with that plan.   I would also hope that the
Town Board would begin working TOGETHER --  ALL FIVE MEMBERS -- starting on January 1 to develop this
5 year plan and in shaping the 2012 budget.

agreed ron

polino new his ps and qs

he even had that wing nut gadflys support before she became a pure republican hack and was in love with everything that tom the situation buchanan ever said ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I don't object to spending an additional $100,000 of the fund balance - they already were planning to spend
$1.5 million of the fund balance anyway.    HOWEVER --  anyone who believes that the fund balance should
be spent down to $0  ... doesn't have a clue how to run a municipality's finances.  It sounds nice on paper
to say "spend down the fund balance"  -- but would you go spend down your savings and checking accounts
to $0  ????    

The fact is that even though they kept the tax increase to 3.6% -- the town STILL has a STRUCTURAL
DEFICIT.    We have just punted the problem down a few more years --- and not one person on the Town
Board showed a 5 year plan to get us out of this mess.  
John Paolino prepared everyone one of his budgets with a rolling 5 year plan in mind.  Budget making is
NOT a short term, quick fix ... it takes sound and prudent planning.   John Paolino was IMHO the best Town
Supervisor that this town has had.   I would hope that the Town Board would seek out his counsel in
developing a 5 year plan and shaping the 2012 budget in tune with that plan.   I would also hope that the
Town Board would begin working TOGETHER --  ALL FIVE MEMBERS -- starting on January 1 to develop this
5 year plan and in shaping the 2012 budget.

I take issue with the fact that rotterdamians never had a chance to look at and digest this budget. Talk about ramming things through!  

Whether this budget is better or not.....most rotterdamians will ever know.

And not only should there be a five year plan.......there should also be a comp plan in place.

The only positive thing that came out of this, was that rotterdam had a Democrat, a Republican and a Conservative that all seemed to work together. Again.........that is what 'I' call working together!! IMHO of course

Quoted from bumblethru

I take issue with the fact that rotterdamians never had a chance to look at and digest this budget. Talk about ramming things through!  

Whether this budget is better or not.....most rotterdamians will ever know.

And not only should there be a five year plan.......there should also be a comp plan in place.

The only positive thing that came out of this, was that rotterdam had a Democrat, a Republican and a Conservative that all seemed to work together. Again.........that is what 'I' call working together!! IMHO of course

let me prefase this bye saying that i hate in any way agreing with bumble

however he is right on point with this one

their is no transparesey in an 11th hour budget developed by three men in a room

What was in the passed rotterdam town budget?
Does anyone actually REALLY know?
Or is it that people don't really care as long as 'their team won'?

that would be sooooooo rotterdam!! IMHO

From the looks of the supplied documentation it is amazing what can be done by a comitted few buy emptying the over full office supply closets by just 10% and pulling money from unattended conference fees by a few working as a team can do

Quoted Text

Public blasts Rotterdam’s tentative budget

John Purcell 11/11/10

Residents question pay cut, union president threatens lawsuit

Rotterdam’s proposed 2011 budget totals nearly $21 million and has reduced the resident property tax from over 11 percent to 7.4 percent, but that doesn’t mean residents are praising the budget.

The Rotterdam Town Board held a special meeting on Thursday, Nov. 4, to hold a public hearing for the 2011 preliminary budget. Residents faced a high tax burden previously, but board members have eased the sting by reducing Town Assessor Craig Surprise’s salary by 50 percent. Supervisor Frank Del Gallo said at the meeting the position will now be part time, which brings Surprise’s salary from $66,610 to $33,305.

“Does this reduction in salary put the town at risk for a potential lawsuit for break of contract?” asked Richard Malaczynski.

In response, Del Gallo said he “didn’t think that would happen.”

Councilman Gerard Parisi asked if any other town official’s salary had been cut in half in the budget and if there was a reason why that particular position’s salary was being cut in half.

“I doubt I will get an answer from anybody, but those are my questions,” said Parisi adding “other than personal vendettas” being the reasoning for the pay cut.

Another element brought up in the budget was the several instances where the budgeted amount allocated was higher than the amount requested by the department head.

“There are a few budget line items were the department requested amount is lower than the budgeted amount,” said resident Frank Salamone. “Where did that increase come from, because it is not what the department requested, so I am curious to know who puts in that added money.”

One instance pointed out by Salamone was the CIS Support and Upgrade line under Central Data Process on page 8 of the budget, on which the department head requested $85,000, but the budgeted amount allocated $110,000.

Del Gallo didn’t have a clear answer at the meeting for the higher budgeted amount.

“We’ll have to check into it,” said Del Gallo.

Salamone continued to question Del Gallo and said, “So we don’t know why they’re getting more money than they requested, that is what you’re saying? It is a public hearing on the budget and we don’t know why the budget items are increased above what they requested?”

Del Gallo responded to Salamone saying, “What we do is meet with heads of the department and we go through all these numbers and I would have to be a mathematical genius to remember every single one and every single thing we talked about.”

Rotterdam Town Attorney Joseph Liccardi repeated to Salamone that the issue would be looked into.

While some budget lines are also increasing, Conrad Johnson, president of the CSEA union in Rotterdam, had some concerns about budget cuts in union member staffing.

“I must go on record as opposing the budget on the conditions that include layoff of full-timer union employees while employing part-timers,” said Johnson.

He read the union’s contract with the town, which stated the town must first layoff any part-timers, temporary or probational employees before seeking to layoff full-time employees.

“If this budget is passed, my only recourse will be to file against the town of Rotterdam for breach of contract according to the language of the binding agreement.”

Visit SpotlightNews.com later for full coverage of the Rotterdam Town Board’s 2011 budget vote, which occurred last night, Wednesday, Nov. 10. An amended budget was passed from changes drafted by Council members Nicola DiLeva, Gerard Parisi and Matthew Martin. The amended budget reduced residential taxes to approximately 3.5 percent.

http://www.spotlightnews.com/news/view_news.php?news_id=1289502062

Quoted Text

http://www.dailygazette.net/Repository/getimage.dll?path=SCH/2010/11/12/11/Img/Ar0110000.png

Quoted from 795

agreed ron

polino new his ps and qs

he even had that wing nut gadflys support before she became a pure republican hack and was in love with everything that tom the situation buchanan ever said ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

And he still does...my support is not determined by party affiliation...and I agree with DVOR...Paolino was, IMO, the most effective
Supervisor we ever had and could be a valuable source of assistance for any administration.

Who Double Standard Paolino?  Layoffs and  high taxes in the City and you want us to believe he is an asset?  PUULEEESSEE

Ask the Independence Party and the Firefighters if Paolino is an asset. Ask the City Council if he is an asset. Ask the taxpayers who endured the reval in Rotterdam and Schenectady if he is an asset. His best asset days are long behin him. Get outta Dodge.you horse'ss ASSet.  

So...um...in everyone's zeal to trim the budget, I noticed nobody took a crack at the land mine: the $50,000 no-show town clerk who is ALREADY collecting a pension from the town...Her salary could have been halved to whack another half a percent off the top. Or better yet, eliminated altogether! If EE loves serving the people and loves the town, then she shouldn't have much problem doing it on her pension, right?

But wait...that makes sense. And this is Rotterdam.

Maybe once GP exits stage left the First Lady of Rotterdam will feel better.

Yup this is Rotterdam.  Can't wait to leave.

GP???   Why?????

Quoted from 487

Who Double Standard Paolino?  Layoffs and  high taxes in the City and you want us to believe he is an asset?  PUULEEESSEE
Ask the Independence Party and the Firefighters if Paolino is an asset. Ask the City Council if he is an asset. Ask the taxpayers who endured the reval in Rotterdam and Schenectady if he is an asset. His best asset days are long behin him. Get outta Dodge.you horse'ss ASSet.  

The fact is that John Paolino didn't just "shoot darts at the wall" every year when writing a budget -- he had
a long range plan in mind -- specifically .. each year of his administration the budget was based on a rolling
5 year-plan.   I am sure I can find specific policies or decisions of Mr. Paolino that I disagreed with but
OVERALL he did have a prudent, long-range fiscal plan for the town.
Had the Tomassone Administration stuck with the 5 year plan -- instead of enacting fiscally irresponsible
budgets - spending down the balance fund, plugging in "one shots", etc -- basically drafting budgets that
were more designed to win votes than to provide prudent long-term fiscal policy -- than our town would
be in a better financial situation today.
It was very convenient for Mr. Parisi to pin the blame on our town's fiscal problems on the current Supervisor
and Deputy Supervisor -- convenient -- but a pure distortion of the truth designed to curry votes from the
public.   The fact that NOT one member of the "team" that ran for Town Board in 2009 was willing to say --
"hey, Girard where were you when your party's supervisor and town board was driving the town over the cliff?"

On one hand - I am happy that we were able to reduce the tax increase -- but I stand by my previous
statement -- the newly adopted 2011 Town Budget just kicks the problem down the road for another year.

I will say this -- I am appalled that over $4,000 was cut from Parks and Recreation programs - without
consulting the Parks and Recreation Commission -- and with no real concern about how that will affect the
young people who participate in the programs each summer or the young adults (mostly college kids) who
are minimally paid but offer a REAL service to our town's youth each summer.   If anyone had bothered to
consult the Parks and Recreation Commission,  we would have been happy to suggest a way to trim the
park's budget WITHOUT hurting the programs and the people involved.