Quoted Text

County uses stimulus to cut taxes
Schenectady 2010 tax cut called election year tactic; GOP critical

By LAUREN STANFORTH, Staff writer
First published in print: Monday, September 7, 2009

SCHENECTADY -- County taxes would be lowered by 2.1 percent under the proposed 2010 budget thanks to federal stimulus money and a settlement with CSX, Legislature Chairwoman Susan Savage, D-Niskayuna, said Sunday.
     
The proposed budget will be released Tuesday.

Republican minority leader Robert Farley of Glenville said he worries the tax cut is just an election-year tactic and is skeptical about how it will be achieved.

Spending in the $280 million plan would essentially remain flat, while $6 million more in fund balance would be used to achieve the tax cut, Savage said.

County residents saw a nearly 9 percent tax increase this year as part of the $279.9 million budget. Taxes increased 4.5 percent in 2008, were flat in 2007, and dropped by 1 percent in 2006.

Savage said the increase in fund balance from $29 million to $35 million this year is a result of Medicaid relief provided by the federal government and a settlement with CSX concerning property the rail company owns in Glenville.
......................>>>>............................>>>>....................http://www.timesunion.com/AspS.....mp;newsdate=9/7/2009

It's all smoke and mirrors during an election year to try to get votes. Using grant money to lower taxes this year will result in a larger tax increase when the grant money's gone. The only real way to lower taxes is to cut out the useless unneeded programs and eliminate the patronage jobs for their cronies.

Another KRAT outrage. Instead being fiscally responsible and cutting spending and eliminating patronage hires, they waste Stimulus money-which is supposed to create private sector jobs. A mini 2% reduction after a 10% increase is a joke and will be offset by exploding school/town taxes. "The right thing to dois to get it back in taxpayers pockets" stated Gary Hughes {D-MVP}. Amen-so end Metrograft and get sales tax funds back in our pockets. By the way Mr. Hughes where do you stand on national health insurance? LOL!

  The County KRATS are in big trouble because people have had enough of working together to spend like drunken sailors. Dump SS Savage and fellow coven member Judy DAG-they actually both have opponents!

This is the a clear example of pandering to the people with smoke and mirrors. TAX CUT? HA!

It is political pandering at it's best. It's clearly just an election ploy that people are smartening up to....thanks to obama who has just about bankrupt our country...with the help of bush II and barney frank.

Watch out folks....there may be a no tax increase this year, for election purposes only. But ya better bend over now and get ready to see what happens next year! Wake up people!! IMHO

Another new low-this is no cut. And what will happen in 2011 when the phony Obama stimulus ends? These KRATS better wake up and cut spending. Have they budgeted for the new County Nursing Home? Of course not.
Then they keep the charade of a Downtown library addition that we cannot afford and don't need.

  Because of the NYS pension fund collapse no one will see any reduction. The City and towns will be looking at millions in additional payments. The current County Manager refuses to cut anything. More programs. more lobs, more needless pr dupes. More everything-except private sector jobd! In Albany County they have closed County offices for 2 weeks WITH NO PAY. Meanwhile here nobody does nuthin. Robert Farley is right but what are his spending cuts? Where is ANG on this? The silence is deafening.

thank you Judy again for being on the tax cut team over here

I thought we were all told by the dem president of the united states and all of our dem government representatives and dem leaders that the stimulus money was to be used to stimulate the economy by creating jobs? WTF?

Perhaps our local dem leaders didn't quite understand this. Perhaps it's time for our dem leaders to be voted out. Perhaps?

This is exactly what was predicted would be done with the stimulus money if it was just given to the state and local governments to dole out. Instead of creating jobs the local and state officials are just using it to balance their budgets and that's why there are so many unemployed instead of people going back to work. This is exactly why I don't want the government running health-care or cap and trade. The governments track record on any program that they are involved with has never succeeded and leads me to believe that they couldn't run a lemonade stand and show a profit.

And when you deal with them everything is always YOUR fault and YOUR responsibility and YOUR screw up. I talked with someone who has a parcel who bought it two years ago and never received a tax bill. It was a small parcel of land. Finally the new Rotterdam assessor found it and sent her a bill on it, and now she has to go to the county office building to pay it with interest. The former assessor never sent the bill to the lady and she is stuck for 100s in interest over the year or two she was not billed. Instead of the government stating it was their fault and there is no interest on the bill, like a business would have done, there is no leeway for making things right. Just a rigid bureaucracy that depends on competent people to do their job correctly. Makes me sick. The never seem to be able to get their stuff straight, and now the nation is clamoring to hand over the health care sector to them just so we can be craddled to graved.

Thank you Judy DAG for raising taxes 10% this year and failing to budget or doing anything to cut the record DEM County deficit. She's did to the County what she did to the Little League.

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

I talked with someone who has a parcel who bought it two years ago and never received a tax bill. It was a small parcel of land. Finally the new Rotterdam assessor found it and sent her a bill on it, and now she has to go to the county office building to pay it with interest. The former assessor never sent the bill to the lady and she is stuck for 100s in interest over the year or two she was not billed.

I'm sure this person, who never received a tax bill for a couple of years, was more than happy and hoped it would go un-noticed forever.

Perhaps it was an 'oversight' by the previous assessor (uh hum). But who is REALLY responsible here? The last assessor for failing to do his job correctly? OR the land owner who was knowingly sneaking by without paying taxes?

Agreed BT and what does this have to do with this possible mini County tax cut?

  The County DEMS need to be held responsible for what they did to us THIS YEAR. 10% increase in County taxes and extension of failed Metrograft taxes. SS Savage was hilarious on radio saying that her economic development team and not the huge increase in gasoline prices last year was the reason for a possible mini cut. DEMS in this County are happy with the current situtation. Sheeple need to wake up and throw out all KRAT incumbents.

Quoted from benny salami

Sheeple need to wake up and throw out all KRAT incumbents.

I want to vote for the candidate running against Johnson and Fields.... Oh yea I can't, the Republican Party is such a joke that they can't even put up a candidate...

Quoted from pg13

I want to vote for the candidate running against Johnson and Fields.... Oh yea I can't, the Republican Party is such a joke that they can't even put up a candidate...

You can add to that list; District Attorney {AGAIN!}, all DEM City Council Candidates, DEM Niskayuna Supervisor. Everyone will have to bring a pen to the polls.

A blast from the past ...

2009 budget proposed with 12.9% increase, reduced to 8.9%:

http://spotlightnews.com/spotlightnews/article.php?article_id=tZ1225919599t49120c6f30aa6