First up, we would like to welcome Mark Robarge to the scrum. Mark is a new editor/reporter at The Record. We hope he follows in the footsteps of the areas good political reporters: Chet Hardin, Shawn Charniga and Tim O'Brien. This article is a promising start. A bit more meat-on-the-bone than we've seen in the past (or at least since Cinema Art closed).
According to the article (and as we reported on November 21, 2015), the new revenue enhancement proposal would mean a roughly 5% tax increase. This proposal would still be in excess of the real property tax cap and legislation will be needed for the override. According to the article:
"Rosamilia offered the compromise this week in a letter to current council members in which he calls for trimming an additional $463,000 in spending and adding another $250,000 in revenue to his initial, $68.6 million proposal. The plan stays true to Rosamilia’s pledge to avoid layoffs or cuts in essential services, but calls for eliminating four vacant positions in the city assessor’s office, central garage and recreation, as well as a $145,000 cut in the city’s contingency fund, increasing the amount of profit transferred from the city’s water fund by $250,000 and bumping up the total assessed value of property citywide by nearly $900,000."
Mayor Elect Madden responded enthusiastically: “It looks like his budget works, if everything falls into place,” Madden said. “It works on paper, but we’re going to have to deal with reality.”
Council President Elect Carmella Mantello (aka C-Lo) was equally enthusiastic: "They’re really doing nothing more here than rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic,” Mantello said.
C-Lo just doesn't appreciate that there's going down with the ship and then there's going down with the ship in style. Besides, she better get used to it as the new Titanic Cruise Director. The real question is, will Carmella make room on the door for Pat after the ship goes down or, like Rose, hog the entire door while Pat succumbs to hypothermia?
The Special Meeting is scheduled for Monday. It should be, as always, quite a spectacle. We do not believe the tax cap will be breached. The four nays (Wiltshire, Gordon, Robertson & Zalewski) seem intractable. Alas, if they had only shown such backbone in the past. The fact is, they do not want this to occur no matter the consequences. Three of the four seem more than willing to sabotage the incoming administration and council, which is their right, of course.
While Mantello's comment isn't completely false, 'they' have been rearranging, painting, sanding and refinishing the chairs on the Titanic for more than a decade and the ship is still afloat, albeit listing. We'll look at that in the near future.
In the meantime, shuffle board in Barker Park, anyone?
36 comments:
Why didn't Lou the accounting professor cut the $460k, raid the $250k from water and take $145k from the contingency right up front to minimize the tax burden?
If he was able to come up with such great ideas such as these in one week , imagine what he should have done over the course of 4 years?
Raise the citywide property assessment by 900k? Isn't that a tax increase by another name? That sounds like a really bad idea for certain property owners.
These ideas sound horrible so I suggest my own: Spend less, do more with less, think smart , work hard and break the contracts that are killing us.
Any chance the PBA or UFA would volunteer some time at the events in the city instead of gouging us for overtime?
Close the ice rinks, close the golf course and organize the Turkey Trot in house and keep that 100k for the city.
IDIOTS!
Both Mantello and Madden sound pathetic. What did they expect?
"Spend less, do more with less, think smart , work hard and break the contracts that are killing us"
These aren't ideas, they're advertising slogans. Except that last one about breaking contracts. Unfortunately while breach of contract is at least an idea, it's a terrible one. It will save the city exactly zero dollars when the courts/arbitrators find in favor of the city's counterparties. In fact, it will be more expensive once you factor in legal fees.
Once again, people who are raging about a tax increase of one dollar per thousand (the horrible 9.3%) fail to understand that magic is not real and the services citizens take for granted cost money. Perhaps the administration didn't cut it down to 5% in the first place because 5% is too low. Wasn't it just a couple months ago people were complaining that law enforcement efforts were insufficient? That too many abandoned houses were still standing? These things cost money.
Cities are more expensive to run than affluent suburban towns. No amount of poorly thought out rage changes that fact.
When Momentive took over GE Waterford, they basically told the Unions to wipe their asses with the document. They argued successfully that could not sustain their business with the stips & perks of the old contract ----and they won. It could be done. Start with the medical, having all employees pay 50% of the premiums. Get rid of those yearly Longetivity checks too. Who the hell gets that loo loo in the real world? Contracts can be modified. Its in Troy's best interest.
Fuck it. A dollar a thousand? Let's raise it 90% then.
It's people like you who raise taxes instead of changing the shitty way things " have always been done around here ".
What about asking the PBA and UFA to work the Victorian stroll on a volunteer basis? I'm sure they love Troy as much as you right? You know , do it for the good of the city, do it for the kids type stuff?
You like the cop and fire contracts? Good open up and say AaaaaaH.
The hypocrisy in Mantello's comparison to the Titanic is indicative of her disingenuous approach. Troy devotes $6 million annually to pay the debt incurred from the Dworsky debacle. He left the city over $35 million in the red and now serves as one of Mantello's advisers (she announced he is on her transition team).
Dworsky is the iceberg that sunk the Titanic. Get a clue Mantello from errors of the past.
The UFA already does the Victorian Stroll, and all of the parades, on a volunteer unpaid basis. By all means though, keep posting incorrect assumptions as facts.
When your post is nothing but f-bombs and you have no grasp of spelling and grammar, you come off as ignorant. Nobody is going to take you seriously. Your post sounds like you flunked third grade. I'm looking at you Mr.3:45 and 6:20. Seriously - try to strive for at least GED level.
Looks like Ronny junior following in the family footsteps
Can you tell me what firehouse sleeping is occurring at? Because I constantly see trucks coming and going all hours of the night. And as for the UFA and pba no cost of living raises of any kind in the last 5 years. UFA does volunteer the Victorian stroll and fire prevention in schools and many other events plus overtime in the fire Dept is paid at straight time rate. so get facts straight.
Don't bothering reading that crank. He'd be the first to yell and scream if his house was burning and the TFD wasn't there fast enough due to budget cuts.
Why are people and UFA members out here either ridiculing or defending the fire department? Is that where the cuts will come from?
One less dpw layoff
Doubtful the cuts will come from the TFD. One or two people have an axe to grind for some reason against people who risk their lives for us. Most people would defend the TPD and the TFD.
As for tax hikes, no one likes them but services cost money. The same people who want cuts and layoff are those that will complain the loudest when they can't get something.
Heros. You forgot to mention that.
The TFD and TPD are separate. As the democrats have positioned us as No. 1 in area crime it's doubtful the TPD will be cut. As far as the firemen, the party's over!
What will rodney do this year without filling 5 gallon pails with city salt? Excuse last year was he was on counsil. What will it be this yeat? U have 31 days better stock pile u little siloar panel cabbage patch doll
I seen your TFD Union reps Wisher and Razzano and I have to be honest I think if I was in trouble and waiting on them 2 to get to me I might be better off waiting for Sanvidge to pick me up. How about a salad boys?
5.51 While I completely agree with your line of reasoning, the fact is a private contract is very different from a municipal contract subject to the Taylor Law and Triborough Amendment. Once they were spun off from Apollo, they had the ability to declare bankruptcy, and could threaten the union with placing their fates in the hands of a judge or arbitrator. Troy does not have that option. Frankly, I do not know enough about the terms of MAC oversight to know what options are available with respect to the public employee unions. However, given the relative influence of public employee unions with the Comptroller's office(especially public safety unions) versus that of Troy taxpayers, I would guess we lose.
10:21 AM said it all.
He/she has nailed it.
The city is not an employment agency!
Phana sounds right. The mayor would have to cut funding for some positions in the TFD and reduce the number of firemen. He could ask they make some concessions (health insurance or overtime) but in reality that's a lesson in futility.
But we are all Heros. You need to remember that.
I hate to burst your bubble but our health insurance will only get better while staying free, overtime will only increase and do I have to keep reminding you that you will hire more of us to save money?
The circle will remain unbroken.
Because the citizens are generally nice people we use hysteria to get you to submit. Words like Hero, UFA, Safety, Arson Outbreak, Increased Response Time, ALS and Danger to the Comunity keep you in line.
How about our false statistics campaign?
Do you really think we do 10,000 calls per service per year? Do the math, I dare you. How do I get such good sleep at work if I'm answering so many calls for service?
Here's a little secret, every time someone calls the house or stops by for directions we use that as a " call for service ". And if we send 4 pieces of apparatus to a false alarm it's FOUR " calls for service ". When we leave the house to go to Bella Napoli for breakfast pastries it's a " call for service ". Getting gas in the ambulance is a " call for service ".
Ok, gotta get up now, have breakfast and head to my real job! See you in four days!
You can be hero's on the volunteer squads in the towns you live in.
Nothing you just posted there is factually correct at all. If you're going to tell gargantuan lies like that, you could at least have the courage to post under your real name.
Bye bye ambulance and 2 firehouses. That's the answer.
6:31,
At least you got the "citizens are generally nice people" part right.
Everything else? Not so much.
But I'm sure you already knew that.
Have a nice day!
Justin ,
Do you feel conflicted getting in this discussion when your immediate family and extended family has been suckling the TFD teet for over 40 years?
What if you had to get a real job without patronage?
Don't you have some studying to do?
Now listen you young whipper snapper , run along and let the adults talk.
The picture and story in the paper today says it all. Lou, Garrett, Rodney B-Doh with Schumer and a group of firemen (on the clock). And here is Schumer's quote:
“Firefighters are the domestic version of our soldiers,” Schumer said Monday during a news conference at the Troy Fire Department’s Central Station at which he called for increased funding for a pair of federal programs to assist firefighters, “volunteering to risk their lives for our safety. We are all safer because of our firefighters, and that’s why I work so hard for them.” Volunteering? Did Schumer think he was in Colonie or Brunswick? Volunteering? WTF?
Not that I feel your fabricated BS is even worthy of a reply, but I do hate it when your baseless lies are accepted as fact.
1st off, my family has been serving the city of Troy for a lot more than 40 years. A lot of Troy citizens are still alive today because of my family and fellow firefighters/paramedics. Can you say that about yourself? Yes, firefighting is a tradition in my family, as is serving our country in the armed forces prior to becoming firefighters. Do you take personal offense to that as well? My family has lots of traditions. One of them is not being cowards and hiding behind anonymous names and lies.
As for your other baseless nonsense... "patronage" job? Hardly, buddy. I DID study, and scored #1 on the civil service exam multiple times prior to being hired. I passed the CPAT multiple times prior to being hired as well. I earned my spot here, I am proud of my career, and continue to earn it every day. I'm not sure what your definition of a "real" job would entail, but I served on active duty and several private sector careers (which in the interest of full disclosure paid better and required far less work than being a firefighter) while pursing my dreams and following in my family's footsteps.
I don't believe your cowardess false accusations are truly deserving of a rebuttal, but none-the-less; there it is. Have a good day.
Within a sixty minute time period yesterday, the Troy Fire Department was called to respond to:
- a structure fire
- a man with multiple gunshot wounds EMS call
- an auto/pedestrian motor vehicle accident
- a cardiac related chest pain EMS call
Getting rid of the ambulances and closing two firehouses is the answer. Right.
While the press conference at Fire Headquaters was going on, every single company was dispatched on separate calls. Mohawk and empire ambulances had to help and take additional calls. Just listen to a scanner.
Justin,
You're too easy! Go sweep a chimminy you little rascal!
No longer will we refer to them as "Heros" from now on they will be referred to as "Miters". God bless you Justin now I will cut my tongue out so I will never utter a bad word again about the hero.....the Miters again.
Just a question, why does Troy have city ambulances and other cities have only Mohawk and Empire ambulances? I'm not ragging on the fireman because I agree with Justin Miter. They work hard and are mostly good, decent men. But i work in Schenectady and sometimes in Albany and see only the two ambulance services. Just wondering why.
Justin Miter, be careful when you use facts and common sense to support your argument, anonymous, mean spirited people with nothing better to do attack the messenger. Don't sweat people who attack anonymously, they are cowards
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