In typical DEM fashion he wants everyone to feel the pain-except himself. He says he needs more money to travel and accept more creative public financing awards.The Mayor is totally clueless as to how to right this sinking ship. He might have actually believed the Goebbels "renaissance" propaganda.

     Stratton's budget is a total redo. All nonprofits especially DSIC must be zeroed out. Code enforcement and Weed and Seed must be zeroed out. No money should be wasted on any housing programs. We only need one City pool-Hamilton Hill. The Stockade pool has been underused for years. No firefighter nor station can be cut.  Police must be increased in the midst of a gang war.

Quoted from Kevin March

I won't say that it's funny, but I will say that this is quite ironic.  The City of Schenectady, the home of high taxes, decides that as a savings plan, they are going to take firefighters off of the tax rolls.  This is while, at the same time, the Town of Rotterdam is now going to look at adding the employees of REMS onto the tax rolls?  Well, officially, that is, since we're already paying them, just they're looking at making it permanent.

I can't believe I'm going to put this, but SCHENECTADY IS DOING A BETTER JOB THAN ROTTERDAM.

So are you saying you are for the laying off of firefighters in the city

Quoted from B GAGE

So are you saying you are for the laying off of firefighters in the city

I'm not necessarily against people losing their jobs, or the residents of the city being without the protection that they need, but I am all for government controlling costs.  I wish that they would find other ways to make the cuts, but they need to stop the bleeding somewhere.  I'm sure that at the same time, they would expect that after these cuts, the people of the towns surrounding the city would be more than willing, as we have been in the past, to run into the city to help.  No, I don't want firefighters to lose their jobs, but it's about time someone in the City of Schenectady got off their butts and started to find SOME way to get costs under control.

I didn't her where they are cutting back on the municipal welfare housing and its staff. Did anyone hear about THAT????

How about the veteran firefighters give up a few of there 6 weeks of vacation/sick time and pay a higher portion of their insurance to save the layoffs?

How about the veteran firefighters give up a few of there 6 weeks of vacation/sick time and pay a higher portion of their insurance to save the layoffs?

Quoted from 615

How about the veteran firefighters give up a few of there 6 weeks of vacation/sick time and pay a higher portion of their insurance to save the layoffs?

Somebody's got to give on something.  Maybe right now is a time to look at the police officer's contract, with the excessive overtime they get paid.  I'm sure that over time, just like in any company across the country / world, there have been people who have learned how to milk the system.  Now, it's time to buckle down and save some money.

Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY
Budget talks to include new positions Mayor wants 5 new jobs to raise revenue; additions would be despite major layoffsBY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com

    The 2011 budget sessions begin today with the explanation of a mystery: How three new engineering positions will bring in revenue for the city.
    Council members said they don’t know how the positions could qualify under Mayor Brian U. Stratton’s definition of “revenue-generating” jobs. He wants to create fi ve jobs that he says will more than pay for themselves, while shedding 89 other positions.
    Two of the five jobs have obvious, although controversial, potential for revenue. Stratton wants to add a tax collector who would hunt down delinquent owners. The mayor also wants to keep a newly created position in the city’s new body shop. The body shop manager, whose salary is $54,300, is expected to bring in $131,406 next year, according to the mayor’s budget. That revenue would come from the county and surrounding suburbs that bring their vehicles to the body shop.
    Council members understand the arguments for both positions, though they have not said whether they support creating the tax collector job. They voted for the body shop job last month.
    But they said they don’t understand the other three new jobs in the budget. They are: a second junior civil engineer, at a salary of about $40,600; a senior engineering facilities inspector, $33,600; and a principal design engineer, $77,555.
    With benefits, the total cost would be roughly $228,000.
    City officials said only Engineer Paul Cassillo could explain how the positions would bring in revenue. Cassillo did not return calls left for him Tuesday and Wednesday. But council members expect to learn the details today. They will meet from 5 to 7 p.m. at City Hall to go over the 2011 predicted revenues with department heads. All revenues, including new revenue generated by new positions, will be on today’s agenda.
    “We’ll go over those positions,” Stratton said.
    Department heads will also explain why the city needs a tax collector when it is still planning to sell many of its delinquent tax liens to a private collection agency. The new job comes with a budgeted salary of $60,000. .....................>>>>.........................>>>>......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01201&AppName=1

SOS and company don't know a thing about economics or how to balance a budget or when to cut spending.

At the same time Mayor SOS wants to close the Bellevue Firehouse, laying off 19 fire fighters he wants to pad his travel allowance by $30,000 and add 5 high paid bureaucrats. If there are cuts at MHA nobody has heard about it. This half baked proposal is a disgrace to the oppressed City sheeple. Keep voting for the working together idiots.

     The City does not need a tax collector since it farms out debt. The engineering department has been understaffed for years but the new positions will not bring in any revenue. The City should freeze all capital projects and should have never built that Taj Mahal garage. The body shop has got to be the dumbest idea yet. The City needs to get out of the free automotive business. Use a private shop instead of looking for pie in the sky. They should sell tickets for the Monday City Council meeting. Property owners are frothing at the mouth at this Mayor and rubber stamp Council.

Quoted from Shadow

SOS and company don't know a thing about economics or how to balance a budget or when to cut spending.

Mayor SOS never ran a business nor worked in the private sector. Completely clueless. But what about the finance department does anyone over there have a thought? CUT SOMETHING. No contributions to any nonprofit. Stop funding useless DSIC. That would keep all the fire fighters.

Let's fire   Hugh Farley and save the taxpayers millions.

Quoted from Kevin March

Somebody's got to give on something.  

No body should have to give up ANYTHING. Why? Because union contracts are negotiated by and with your elected officials!! They are the ones that caused this problem to begin with. They are the ones who signed off on these lucrative taxpaid union contracts!!!!!! And all for votes!!!

What your elected officials need to do is get rid of their created patronage jobs and shrink the size of government. If your elected officials are inclined to close down a fire house and get rid of firefighters, then everyone should assume that it was the government who overspent and over employed for years at the taxpayers expense. IMHO

Elect Susan Savage to the State Senate and she will actually help end the unfunded state mandates
that are killing many New York counties, cities, and towns.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Elect Susan Savage to the State Senate and she will actually help end the unfunded state mandates
that are killing many New York counties, cities, and towns.

She didn't end the unfunded non-mandates as chairwomen.  County Nursing Home?