Should taxpayer dollars be used to lure business to New York?

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Of course. How else would we get businesses to come here?: 13%


No. We should create a more business-friendly environment without giving away money.: 71%


Financial incentives like grants and PILOTs should be capped.: 15%



small sample - but the people get it!  

PILOTS should not be the first thing offered -- and even then only in very rare circumstances.  
There are a number of other incentives short of PILOTS that should be offered before that.

The real way to lure business is to actually lower property taxes for everyone   -- and we can do that if
there is the political will to reduce and/or eliminate all unfunded state mandates, consolidate services and
eliminate unnecessary duplication of government.    

Schenectady County -as an example - does not need 6 school districts ...  1 would be sufficient.

DVR-what are you talking about.  How can you have only one district.  That would be nonsense and an educational disaster.

Quoted from 612

DVR-what are you talking about.  How can you have only one district.  That would be nonsense and an educational disaster.

Actually, it is something that they do in a number of states.    One District Office for central
administration  -- considering that each of the current District Superintendents makes about $125,000 to
$150,000    --- that one move would save over $500,000.     Each of the 6 districts has a business
manager -- consolidating to 1 would save another $500,000.     Then consolidating district support
staff from 6 offices to 1 office ...  would probably save over a $1,000,000.

You would keep the existing school buildings  --  but still save money --
as an example Mohonasen wants to build more class space .... while Schalmont is looking to
decrease class space by closing 2 elementary schools.     Why should Mohonasen taxpayers be
paying higher taxes to build more space -- when the neighboring district has excess space ???

My idea is not a new idea -- and it is one that Andrew Cuomo has been talking about --- consolidatingthe numerous  "special districts"  to bring about more efficiency in government.    In fact, there are
some folks who even suggest using  the BOCES district lines as the organizational lines -- when
school districts are consolidated.     Personally, I think the BOCES districts would be too big to make
that manageable ... but  1 school district per county  would be a good middle ground.

The people get it........but not in schenectady county! The metroplex has got to GO!!!

To combine the schools in Schenectady County would result in the exodus of hundreds if not thousands of families. Can you imagine a family in the Nisky system having to bus their child to the Yates Elementary or Mont Pleasant Middle Schools? The uprising of angry parents would be deafening! Also, busing increases would rise and you're now looking at millions of dollars in additional transportation expenses.

Want to save money in Schenectady County, dissolve Metroplex and force the tax exempt businesses they've set up to now pay their assessed values! Schenectady needs to clean up their neighborhoods, TAX BIG BUSINESS, get rid of overpaid golf pros, get rid of FREE CELL PHONES, FREE CARS and NON-RESIDENTAL City Workers and most importantly, the whole county leg and govt should be stripped of their low cost health care benefits. I'm tired of paying for their prostate exams and then feeling like I'm getting one when my tax bill comes!

Get rid of the county leg and form a board of supervisors!!

Quoted from rachel72

To combine the schools in Schenectady County would result in the exodus of hundreds if not thousands of families. Can you imagine a family in the Nisky system having to bus their child to the Yates Elementary or Mont Pleasant Middle Schools? The uprising of angry parents would be deafening! Also, busing increases would rise and you're now looking at millions of dollars in additional transportation expenses.

Want to save money in Schenectady County, dissolve Metroplex and force the tax exempt businesses they've set up to now pay their assessed values! Schenectady needs to clean up their neighborhoods, TAX BIG BUSINESS, get rid of overpaid golf pros, get rid of FREE CELL PHONES, FREE CARS and NON-RESIDENTAL City Workers and most importantly, the whole county leg and govt should be stripped of their low cost health care benefits. I'm tired of paying for their prostate exams and then feeling like I'm getting one when my tax bill comes!

School district consolidation ... as well as the consolidation of municipalities  .. probably the elimination of
villages   ...  all of those things will be on the table come January 1, 2011  .. no matter who is elected
Governor.    Remember  ... towns, cities, counties, school districts, and special tax districts all exist because they were either set up by the State Legislature or allowed to be set up by provision of laws passed by the
state legislature.

The New York State legislature could  constitutionally --- pass a law and erase ALL of the existing school
districts  and replace them with 1 per county.        It could constitutionally pass a law eliminating ALL
villages.      same with counties, towns, and cities   --  

BTW -- Massachusetts pretty much eliminated the County level of government --   and kept the state and
the local levels  ....  county courts got taken over by the State Court system ..etc

Again, if Schenectady County were to combine the school system, families would leave in bulk! Also, the expense to the taxpayer would practically triple due to increased transportation cost and reorganization cost. It would be a taxpayer nighmare and ultimately, the children would suffer for this insanity. I highly doubt this type of consilidation would happen in 2011 or any other year.

Then again, hopefully Metroplex will be dissolved by then and the employees in Schenectady will live where they work. Maybe taxpayers will see relief if the big business in Schenectady began to pay taxes. That's the type of savings all taxpayers need now and for years to come.

Quoted from rachel72

Again, if Schenectady County were to combine the school system, families would leave in bulk! Also, the expense to the taxpayer would practically triple due to increased transportation cost and reorganization cost. It would be a taxpayer nighmare and ultimately, the children would suffer for this insanity. I highly doubt this type of consilidation would happen in 2011 or any other year.

Then again, hopefully Metroplex will be dissolved by then and the employees in Schenectady will live where they work. Maybe taxpayers will see relief if the big business in Schenectady began to pay taxes. That's the type of savings all taxpayers need now and for years to come.

You can consolidate the  6 DISTRICT OFFICES into 1 DISTRICT OFFICE  ... and leave the existing
schools open -- thus most students would be going to the same school as they are now   ...
the biggest difference is eliminating the redunancy of having 6 Superintendents,
6 Business Managers ,   6 sets of Assistant Superintendents,  6 sets of Secretaries and Clerical Staff
to Superintendents ... etc .. etc .. etc.

The fact is that one of the recommendations to close the anticipated 13 Billion dollar state deficit in
the 2011-2012 Budget is  .....   eliminating, merging or consolidating  "taxing units"  which includes
school districts, municipalities and such.
The State Legislature CREATED these "taxing units"  and can eliminate, merge or consolidate them if
they choose.    In the 1890's  the State Legislature consolidated 5 municipalities into 1 city --  
New York City   --- the State Legislature did it unilaterally and over the objection of residents from
some of the municipalities involved .. such as the City of Brooklyn

Massachusetts did something similar within the last 10 years --- they eliminated the county
level of government all together.     You just have the state level and municipal level of government.
Bottomline --- to cut state spending and lower taxes ... the State Legislature could legally force the
consolidation of  school districts and municipalities.      

Your clerical office would still have to remain the same.  You can't expect one secretary to do the work of six.  You might be able to combine to one Super and several underlings to oversee the inidividual schools.  A mass exodux would occur.

Quoted from 612

Your clerical office would still have to remain the same.  You can't expect one secretary to do the work of six.  You might be able to combine to one Super and several underlings to oversee the inidividual schools.  A mass exodux would occur.

I am only relating what I have heard  ...    there is a lot of pressure to reduce the number of
"government entitities"   ... school districts, municipalities, etc.  and it was one of the recommendations
made to close the budget gap last  Spring .. and remains on the table ... and is supported by both
Paladino and Cuomo.

The only question IMHO .. is how the reduction is accomplished .. will it be legislated "from above" or will they offer incentives for the locals to "do it themselves".

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I am only relating what I have heard  ...

We know!   You've been doing that since you signed up.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

PILOTS should not be the first thing offered -- and even then only in very rare circumstances.  
There are a number of other incentives short of PILOTS that should be offered before that.

The real way to lure business is to actually lower property taxes for everyone   -- and we can do that if
there is the political will to reduce and/or eliminate all unfunded state mandates, consolidate services and
eliminate unnecessary duplication of government.    

Schenectady County -as an example - does not need 6 school districts ...  1 would be sufficient.

one thing leads to another and the other would be FED control.....

The fact is that there are over 650 school districts in New York State ---  the cost of redundant district offices -- superintendents, business managers, support staff, etc  is astronomical.  

If we went from the 650+ school districts to 1 district per county in New York State -- we could save at least
a HALF BILLION DOLLARS  state-wide.  

It is an idea that is long overdue for implementation.