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McCarthy: the “throw it at the wall” approach
February 6, 2012 at 7:15 pm by Lauren Stanforth, Staff writer

The most interesting topic before Schenectady City Council Monday night was if police were going to come back with another proposal concerning what take-home vehicles the city should purchase for evidence technicians. That, unfortunately, got tabled because apparently the police haven’t come up with anything other than the other controversial plan to buy Chevy Tahoes.

But Mayor Gary McCarthy said he wanted to put an item up for discussion:  if the city should stop garbage collection and cut off water to properties that haven’t paid taxes in years. He also mentioned it at a main City Council meeting a few weeks back.

No one on City Council thought it was a good idea  – or a legal one at that. What if they shut off water to tenants who still live in a building? What if trash pick-up is halted and the refuse just piles up on the sidewalks?.................>>>>...................>>>>.....................http://blog.timesunion.com/localpolitics/11005/mccarthy-the-throw-it-at-the-wall-approach/

That is a nutty approach

Lots of talk at these meetings.  Not alot of substance though.  Majoring in the minor.  Minoring in the major.

What Gary fails to realize is that if they cut off the garbage pick up, they will just leave their garbage everywhere further devaluing their neighborhoods.

So when they stop services, do they have a leg to stand on to collect the taxes that will be due AFTER the date which the services were cut off? If NationalGreed shuts your power off, they can't collect on the dates that they had the power OFF. They can get the money that is owed up to that point, but in the case of these vacant properties, these house owners may have a legal argument that no money is owed on taxes for the dates which the city shut the services off. Furthermore, a LOT of these properties are empty, therefore the owners couldn't care less if the garbage and water is shut off.

I thought he already stopped picking up in MP and the Hill...there's garbage everywhere!

You know, why come up with a plan to examine every City worker contract and their "perks" meanwhile you can leave families without water or garbage pick up because slumlords take the rental money and live in Brooklyn.

Is McCarthy really this stupid because I can't imagine someone being such an a**.....

Quoted from rachel72

Is McCarthy really this stupid because I can't imagine someone being such an a**.....

Trying to use a brain he doesn't have?    And what is McC's plan when the tenant is a mom with a baby and the mom needs water to make the formula and then the mom and baby have to leave because the house is then not habitable.   Is McC going to bring all these "homeless" tenants to his house?   ROFLMAO!

Guess his next suggestion will be that the fire dept does not respond to the houses that are not current on taxes.

Worse yet, if there are inhabitants, I cannot see a judge allowing them to have water and sewer shut off since ultimately there is a remedy for the city to recoup the money via the foreclosure process. It is simply not feasible and won't happen. Just tough talk.

this is the funniest thing ever!!

Have they every heard of the word 'eviction'??????

You evict their a$$es and place a judgment against them.

It's time to start cleaning out the sh!thole!!

And talk about garbage.....we had to take a co-worker home the other night. Had to go down Ostrilitz ave to Cheltingham and that corner looks like a garbage collection all of it's own! What a mess!!!! How much are the taxes again?

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

Worse yet, if there are inhabitants, I cannot see a judge allowing them to have water and sewer shut off since ultimately there is a remedy for the city to recoup the money via the foreclosure process. It is simply not feasible and won't happen. Just tough talk.

I believe that the Public service commission does not allow power companies to shut down power during the heating season. So it appears that McCarthy doesn't have a clue when this sh!t just falls out of his mouth.

Per the commitee meeting last night they are totally rebuilding the foreclosure law so it appears as though they have a problem.  There will be a lot of people walking away from their homes.  Cost of doing business in Schenectady is too high.  Costs to much to even repair the residences yet have to deal with the red tape in the city.......The city will be left with properties that need to be torn down )per their own stringent rules) and therefore have a negative value.......they did say they dont want to be in the property maintenance business.  Well it looks like they will have no choice.

Don't let them scapegoat delinquent property owners for the mess the politician created in the city. So instead of figuring out ways to screw the property owner that has been taxed into submission to the point of abandoning their property, how about they figure a way to lure in prospective property owners back into the city (lower taxes) and invest into their property?  

This idea of punishing property owners because of the inhospitable environment in the city is just redirecting people’s attention away from the real problem of an oppressive tax burden, high crime, and over compensated public employee contracts.  What McCarthy is doing  is an example of blaming the victim.

Quoted from CICERO

Don't let them scapegoat delinquent property owners for the mess the politician created in the city. So instead of figuring out ways to screw the property owner that has been taxed into submission to the point of abandoning their property, how about they figure a way to lure in prospective property owners back into the city (lower taxes) and invest into their property?  

This idea of punishing property owners because of the inhospitable environment in the city is just redirecting people’s attention away from the real problem of an oppressive tax burden, high crime, and over compensated public employee contracts.  What McCarthy is doing  is an example of blaming the victim.

Are all the city owned properties up to code.  ie.  Are they following their own rules?

Quoted from TakingItBack

Are they following their own rules?

Of course not...There is a separate set of rules for them...Just look at the residency law, it no longer applies.  They won't even require by LAW the "public servant" that lives off of the labors of the city property owner to live in the filthy city they get paid to "serve".  They are not public servants but public vultures picking at the dead carcass of a city.

Here's an idea for McCarthy...How about he tax the wages of all the city employees that have their residence outside the city at a rate of 5% to help pay the taxes of the delinquent property owners that pay their salaries?  There's a solution.  We can call it the public employee 'give back' program.

Quoted from CICERO

Of course not...There is a separate set of rules for them...Just look at the residency law, it no longer applies.  They won't even require by LAW the "public servant" that lives off of the labors of the city property owner to live in the filthy city they get paid to "serve".  They are not public servants but public vultures picking at the dead carcass of a city.

Here's an idea for McCarthy...How about he tax the wages of all the city employees that have their residence outside the city at a rate of 5% to help pay the taxes of the delinquent property owners that pay their salaries?  There's a solution.  We can call it the public employee 'give back' program.

Or they could place a surcharge on all the fluff feel good resolutions that are presented at the City Council Meetings.  On and on for 45 minutes about crap.  Meanwhile the guy making good points about Domestic Violence is stopped at 3 minutes.  

Half hour spent last night discussing if they should purchase some land next to the reserve for some small back taxes or should they wait to take it in foreclosure.  

Also, how do we get to learn about the results of the discussions at the executive sessions.  1164 Wendell....what was that about?  Plank LLC vs the City?  Isnt that Highbridge Construction?