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Post by garbageman on Mar 9, 2010 8:56:20 GMT -5
According to WKTV and the OD the proposed tax increase will mean that for a home assessed at 50 thousand dollars the increase will be 174 dollars. For a home assessed at 100 thousand dollars the increase will be 348 dollars. The average home assessed for 50,000 dollars paid nearly 2435 dollars in combined property taxes last year. With nearly 200 dollars more being added this year just from the City alone (not including the County or School District), I have to wonder just where the Political powers in Utica (Council and Mayor) think that the money will come from. On Friday, Charlie Gasperino, speaking on the Fox Business Channel stated that the upset area of New York was a disaster. Taking that statement into account and our understanding that private sector jobs are shrinking - where are the people living in perhaps the most destitute community in Upstate New York going to come up with the money ? That's all I want to know. Simple question - Where ?
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Post by dgriffin on Mar 9, 2010 23:24:09 GMT -5
And don't forget that every extra dollar paid in taxes is less spent on purchases from business, including local businesses. Taxes are a death spiral to a community, controlled only by very careful application and usually only during the period of an expanding economy. During a deflating economy, such as the one we're in, additional taxes are like additional poison to an economy.
Active businessmen who used to run our cities understood that concept. Today's "professional" politicians do not. They don't make their money the old way. They don't go back to their hardware stores or automobile dealerships and watch their business dry up. Of course, an undertaker who never lacks for customers might not understand that.
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Post by clarencebunsen on Mar 9, 2010 23:33:27 GMT -5
Read some of the posts on the OD site opposing Richard Hanna because he is a "rich businessman."
As a person who saw too many 4 AMs worrying about where next month's payroll would come from, I much prefer that to someone who knows it will come from either tax receipts or a revenue anticipation bond.
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Post by stoney on Mar 10, 2010 11:28:58 GMT -5
From what I understand, the CC has almost 2 weeks to come up with ways to pare that figure down.
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Post by Ralph on Mar 11, 2010 2:46:57 GMT -5
They won't.
They will pare it down 1 or 2 percent and call it a Godsend.
They are too afraid of who will they piss off inside the building instead of outside of it. Cut the wrong folks and their street won't get plowed this next winter, or maybe the garbage truck will break a bag on the lawn, forget to pick the brush up on their street, etc.
Face it, the bloated budget didn't have to come down from the Mayors office looking like that. If he cut out some off the body parts of the "friends and family" program it would make a huge difference.
Better to lay off 30 - 40 folks than to piss off an entire city..........or you would at least think so. But it is far easier to keep your friends close and your enemies closer..........and pay them for it!
Besides, what can the citizens of Utica do about it?
Not a damn thing.
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Post by Swimmy on Mar 12, 2010 7:23:45 GMT -5
Start paying better attention to the candidates they elect rather than party lines. This is what happens when you vote for change, for the sake of change!
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Post by stoney on Mar 12, 2010 14:31:06 GMT -5
From what I read the CC thinks they can get it down to 12%.
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Post by Clipper on Mar 12, 2010 16:19:23 GMT -5
Yeah. Tell me about it. The original estimate was for 11.8%, the mayor pumps it up to 18% and the common council somehow manages to make some real hard cuts and get it back to 12%. Does that not sound like a large bucket of political BS and number wrangling.
Just think how happy the taxpayers would have been if the mayor had suggested an increase of 25% and council broke it down to only 18%. They would have been thrilled. Duhhh. Talk about political garbage. They play the game and the taxpayers have to pay for the tickets to watch.
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Post by WestmoGuy on Mar 12, 2010 16:53:34 GMT -5
www.frankvescera.com/Old Franky has posted most of the proposed budget online. Glad I moved out years ago. It's very sad when the elected leaders of Utica are about as smart as Earle Reed and the boys from NH.
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Post by Ralph on Mar 13, 2010 2:42:32 GMT -5
I can cut five useless positions and save over $250K just in salary alone.
And that is just for starters! ;D
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Post by clarencebunsen on Mar 13, 2010 6:41:46 GMT -5
I'll see your 5 positions and raise you the James Street sub-station.
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Post by bobbbiez on Mar 13, 2010 12:35:48 GMT -5
 I'll raise with 8 positions and hold on the James St sub-station. 
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Post by stoney on Mar 13, 2010 13:29:29 GMT -5
I fold...
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Post by Swimmy on Mar 13, 2010 23:25:10 GMT -5
One mayor, a public safety commissioner, a deputy public safety commissioner, a 911 center, and an ambulance service
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Post by bobbbiez on Mar 13, 2010 23:36:19 GMT -5
Agree with all except I thought the ambulance service through the UFD was making the city money. 
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I'll raise with 8 positions and hold on the James St sub-station. 
