Quoted Text

ROTTERDAM
Town faces tough 2009 budget No raises are included for elected officials
.

Quoted Text

The deputy supervisor’s position was also given a $1,500 stipend in the budget. Tommasone said the position — now occupied by board member Joe Signore

Quoted from bumblethru

And I don't understand why Signore should receive a raise and not some if not all the rest did. What is it exactly that Signore does? I think that a deputy supervisor fills in when the supervisor is not there. If I recall correctly, Signore has done that once in three years. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

I hope this proposed budget will be available on line so 'we the people' can look at it before it is actually passed.

Quoted Text

    Tommasone did include money to fund an appointed economic development specialist position for the town. The position, which was given a $47,500 line item in the supervisor’s office budget, will be focused on grant writing and attracting business to the town, among other obligations.

Quoted Text

Tommasone did include money to fund an appointed economic development specialist position for the town. The position, which was given a $47,500 line item in the supervisor’s office budget, will be focused on grant writing and attracting business to the town, among other obligations.

Quoted from Salvatore

what a phoney the next thing you know they will pretend that the supervisor wants to cut his own pay like Angelo suggested I think said to do a few years ago . The only man to give the salary back to the people and charity was ANGELO SANATBARBARA ever

Quoted Text

ROTTERDAM
Insurance savings help trim tax hike
Surplus also tapped; increase should be about 8.5 percent
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net

    Significant reductions in a threeyear insurance premium deal will help drive down the town’s anticipated tax rate in the 2009 budget. The reduction is among about $300,000 in spending shaved from the double-digit percentage increase in taxes initially forecast in the tentative budget.
    The revised budget would bring the residential tax rate down to $3.61 per $1,000 of assessed property value, which would raise taxes by about 8.5 percent. A vote to adopt the budget is expected Nov. 12.
    Supervisor Steve Tommasone said the town will realize at least $80,000 annually as a result of dramatic reductions in the insurance premiums. The town allocated $4,000 to hire private insurance counselor Pat DiCesare, who then helped negotiate down the $360,000 premium the town paid annually for municipal coverage during the previous three-year contract.
    DiCesare said a combination of competition and market conditions resulted in the town securing a low bid of $254,000 and a high bid at $284,000. As a result, the town could realize savings of more than $100,000, depending on which contract is selected.
    “This is another great example of when we’ve gone to the experts for advice and have benefited greatly,” Town Board member John Mertz said during a budget committee meeting Wednesday evening.
    The revised budget also saw $100,000 cut from next year’s allocation for paving, keeping the expense line level funded from the previous year. Tommasone said the town will assess the budgetary situation during the spring and could replace the funding if there is an unanticipated surplus.
    Tommasone also moved another $100,000 from the town’s $3.7 million fund balance to offset some of the budget shortfalls created by decreased revenues from sales tax, mortgage tax and court fines. All three sources of revenue face pronounced reductions, according to preliminary estimates by the town comptroller.
    Mertz argued for the town to take more out of the fund balance to reduce taxes during a tough budget year. He said the town should look to spend up to 20 percent of its reserves to reduce the tax levy.
    “The reality is the financial impact is going to hit Rotterdam,” he said. “I think we need to make sure we’re safe-guarded, but also provide some immediate relief.”
    Mertz argued for the committee to trim another $425,000 from the budget, thereby leaving town taxes flat this year. Tommasone said this goal could be achieved if up to eight town workers accept the early retirement package being offered to them this year.

Quoted Text

Hike in taxes draws fire
Residents grill Town Board at budget hearing
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Anything less than a decrease in local taxes next year is too much, Rotterdam residents told the Town Board at its budget hearing.

    The nearly three-hour-long meeting Thursday included about two dozen home and business owners speaking out against tax increases included in the 2009 budget proposal. The $20.1 million spending plan has an 8.53 percent increase in residential taxes and a 4.19 percent hike in commercial taxes, according to the town’s rates.

    “The taxing is so out of control and so out of sync with what is going on in the world today,” Ric Lucia said on Friday. Lucia, who owns a trucking business on Mariaville Road, spoke during hearing. “They don’t get it,” he said Friday.

    Residents with a $200,000 home can expect to pay about $723 in town taxes, according to the budget. A vote to adopt the budget is expected at the board meeting Wednesday.

    Lucia was incensed by noncontracted raises in the budget. He said the budget proposal is loaded with these types of pay increases, which wouldn’t fl oat in the private sector during an economic slide.

    “The people are on the verge of anarchy,” he said. “The common working person can’t take any more taxes.”

    Lucia, who said he pays more than $96,000 in total taxes on his business, urged the town to do whatever it takes to reduce spending below last year’s fi gures. He said the town should even consider layoffs, if that’s what it takes.

    “[Town officials] don’t get it,” he said. “They’re laying off thousands of people in the private sector.”

    Supervisor Steve Tommasone defended the budget proposal. He insisted the increased taxes are a function of decreased revenues and not an increase in town spending, which would go up by only a fraction of a percent under the proposed budget.

    Tommasone said town revenues are down by $399,565 and the amount to be raised through taxes is at $424,717. He said general and highway spending is increasing by only 0.77 percent in the preliminary budget.

    “The revenues are down,” he said. “It’s not a situation where we’re looking to spend more.”

    Tommasone pointed to the more than $1 million that has already been trimmed from department requests. He said the board is committed to trimming at least another $160,000, but couldn’t go much further without either dipping deeper into the town’s surplus or cutting necessary expenditures.

    “I’m confident that we’re gong to come in lower than where we are now,” he said. “I just cannot support coming in and making draconian cuts.”

    The budget was also criticized by former Town Board members Bob Godlewski and Joseph Guidarelli. Godlewski criticized the budget for including new positions, such as the appointed economic development specialist position, which was given a $47,500 line item, and a data entry clerk in the assessor’s office who would be paid $20,000 annually.

    “We can’t afford it,” he said.

    Godlewski also chided Tommasone for not giving the public enough time to review the budget or running the process in accordance to state law. He said the preliminary budget wasn’t fi led with the town clerk until Monday afternoon, which didn’t give the public the mandated five days to review the 62-page document.

    “They called a public hearing and didn’t have the document there for the public to review,” he said.

    Tommasone disagreed. He said the public was given plenty of opportunity to participate in the budget process.

    Regarding the new positions, he said the town’s overall staffing level will remain static because of retirements. He said the town’s level of staffing couldn’t be reduced further without cutting services.

    “We understand that taxes are high, but there’s also a need for services,” he said.

Quoted from bumblethru

Although the town board is long overdue for a raise, this is CLEARLY NOT the time to implement one. Mr. Tommasone should take the lead and say NO!! It would set an example.

Quoted Text

ROTTERDAM
Use of surplus trims tax increase
Town had faced criticism at budget hearing
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Rotterdam officials tapped the town’s surplus to trim nearly all of the tax increase included in the preliminary 2009 budget.
    Town Board members unanimously adopted the $19.9 million budget, which will increase the general and highway fund levy by 1.74 percent. The spending plan allocates about $1.5 million from the town’s $3.7 million fund balance to drop the residential tax increase from the 8.53 percent projected in the preliminary budget.
    “In all my time on the board and as supervisor, this was one of the most difficult budgets,” Supervisor Steve Tommasone told about two dozen people attending the meeting Wednesday.
    The adopted budget sets a residential tax rate at about $3.39 per $1,000 of assessed value. Residents owning a $175,000 home will pay about $584 in town taxes, not including special districts.
    Under the town’s dual tax rate, commercial properties will realize a 2.3 percent decrease in taxes from the current year. Commercial properties will pay about $5.46 per $1,000 of assessed value, according to the spending plan.
    Tommasone said the budget also excludes spending on all big-ticket equipment for the town. Any major departmental expenditures of this nature will now need Town Board approval.
    “We will be looking very hard at large expenditures until the economy turns around,” he said.
    In spending more of the town’s surplus, Tommasone warned the nearly flat town taxes next year could make the 2010 budget even more painful. Eventually, he said, the town would need to make up for dipping into the surplus during this budget cycle.
    “We cannot duplicate this next year,” he said.
    Board member Joseph Signore agreed. He said the town now faces a $1.5 million hole that will need to be plugged somehow.
    “While we’ve enjoyed zero-percent tax increases for several years, continuously using the fund bal- ance will catch up to us,” he said. “And that’s being honest.”
    Board member John Silva wasn’t as pessimistic, but he said the board should do everything within its power to rein in costs.
    “There are ways for us to aggressively manage our expenses without knowing what our revenues will be,” he said.
    Board member John Mertz credited the budget for keeping taxes low. He said the town should start finding new ways to gain revenue.
    “It’s very important, especially with revenues, that we think outside the box,” he said.
    The decrease in the tax levy came after dozens of angry home and business owners spoke out against town spending last week during the budget hearing. Some argued the budgeted increases to non-contracted salaries were unwarranted during a year when town revenues are projected to drop, while others were critical of the budget for including new positions.
    Former board member Joseph Guidarelli, who spoke against the budget last week, credited the board with producing a fair spending plan.
    “When I left last week, I really felt like you guys listened,” he said.

Quoted from Salvatore

the 2 Joe of which one is th e winner and one is a sure fire loser. Joe S is a no one and never did anything and has no experience at any thing or education and Joey G is a business man who will fight for the people like Ang. this is an obvious choice for the people Judy and Joey G

Quoted from Salvatore

this is becoming a shell game for Mr T and Johnny boy Mertz. they stole the peoples taxes and cut the police now they claim its a cut but cut is not a cut it is a scam

Quoted Text

ROTTERDAM BRACES FOR LEAN TIMES (SCHENECTADY COUNTY, ROTTERDAM)

Posted on: 11/19/08
Jackie Sher
email: news@spotlightnews.com

Rotterdam officials adopted the 2009 tax budget at the Wednesday, Nov. 10, Town Board meeting, with Supervisor Steve Tommasone noting that there are likely tough times ahead.  

“Unless the economy turns around briskly overnight, there will very likely be a town tax increase next year 2010,” said Tommasone.

Under the 2009 budget, the homestead tax levy will increase 1.74 percent, and the non-homestead tax levy will decrease 2.32 percent.

“The majority of the residents of the town will see very little change in their whole tax bill — including the water and the sewer. If they happen to be one of 2,500 properties that are around the sewer line, most of those residents that are in Water District 5 and/or Sewer District 2, (they) will see about a $15 overall decrease in their total tax bill,” said Tommasone.

While the relatively small numbers may seem like welcome news to town taxpayers, Tommasone said there will most likely be a tax increase for 2010 due to state and county budget cuts that will be made as a result of the national economic crisis.

During this year’s budget discussions, board members, along with Pat Aragosa, the town’s comptroller, tried to plan for the upcoming year’s budget process and cuts the town would have to face and other costs the town can’t control.

“I look at the town as a total operation,” said Tommasone. “While we would like to keep the town tax to zero, it is next to impossible because you’re always going to have some increase in costs that are outside your control.  We can to some degree control staffing costs, but when it comes to fringe benefits and gasoline or energy products that we might just need for maintenance and improvements – it could be anything from a shovel to a door — you’re talking about an increase in costs.”

He cautioned against depending on town savings too much because that can put future programs at risk.  He also stated that town spending will be watched more closely than ever this year. No new hires will be made, and the town is going to look into consolidating services with other municipalities.

Councilman John Silva discussed the possibility of merging certain services from Rotterdam’s two school districts to keep costs down.

“I would love to have the town discuss the merging of our two school districts. We have a number of duplicative services,” said Silva. “We  may not end up being 100 percent successful, but we can discuss the consolidation of some services to make things more cost efficient.”

He also said he would have preferred no tax increase this year, however, he said, looking into consolidating certain services might be an option for saving money down the line.

Tommasone said the town did their best to keep the 2009 budget modest.

“We’re holding the line on all spending for 2009 in particular.  In other words, any equipment purchases that need to be made will go before the board at a Town Board meeting before the town departments can make the expenditure.  Hopefully, this will help us keep our costs down,” said Tommasone.

Tommasone said that it’s important not to overestimate the revenue side of the budget to keep taxes superficially low because it could give taxpayers a false impression.

“The 2010 budget will be even tougher than the 2009 budget,” said Tommasone. “We will be very conservative in everything that we do on behalf of all the people in the town.”

Overall, the town is making an attempt to be frugal in the coming year in preparation for hard times to come.

“I am hopeful that the budget fares out and that our county turns around quickly, but we can’t solely rely on that. We have to watch where it is that we spend our hard-earned tax dollars,” said Tommasone.

Quoted from Salvatore

you people dont realize the government is not as business but is here to help people only