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Editorials
Damn, miss one Lancaster Town Board and who shows up, none other than the Buffalo News. How is it that they missed the first meeting last Wednesday, the more significant/detailed meeting? Who rang their bell on this one; the second dog and pony show? Regardless, thank you Ms. Pasciak for the coverage.
Lancaster taxpayers deserve a tax break and will they will most likely look favorably on this eleventh hour move to cut a proposed budget that is higher than most other municipalities. But considering the endorsed Democratic incumbents who have been on the campaign trail for months listening to their constituents telling them to keep taxes down, why the wait until two weeks before the public hearing and election time to bring this forward? Council Members admitted they have been remiss in conducting such meetings in years to look for cost cutting measures. Why this year?
According to the Buffalo News: “We felt it would be best if we could take a look at the budget again, to see if there is some stuff that could be cut out,” Councilman Ronald Ruffino said. Board members made it clear they would not impose any cuts. Rather, they asked department heads to find savings in their own budgets and submit their proposals by Thursday. “We’re not telling you what to cut,” Councilwoman Donna Stempniak told one department head after another. “We’re just asking department heads to sharpen their pencils.”
So while only asking department heads to sharpen their pencils, they announce they are forgoing their 2% salary increases. Political grandstanding for votes, just asking?
While department heads promised to review their budgets again and come back with cuts if possible, several were not happy campers that this process was called for at the last minute; especially after their budget department requests had already seen significant cuts.
In the News article, Councilman Dan Amatura declared: “If you’re going to come up with $75,000 in savings [townwide], that’s the most you’ll come up with.” Considering the pay cuts the four council members offered to make add up to a grand total of $1,450, there is a ways to go. Perhaps they hope their sacrifice may trigger the other town elected officials and department heads to forgo their salary increases.
Council member Donna Stempniak admitted at the first meeting that employee salaries and boards were off the table as they were contractual obligations. Ruffino admitted that when economic times were better he was willing to be more generous in his approach. Perhaps the board has been too generous in past employee contract negotiations. Supervisor Robert Giza stated that the town took a $1 million hit in having to pay out more for employee retirement/ health care/workman’s compensation increases, while at the same time experiencing decreases in sales tax, mortgage tax, and on interest on savings accounts. Sharpen up those pencils boys and girls!
The News article states that the board would have to come up with $300,000 in budget cuts to reduce the tax rate increase by 1.25%. It will never happen. And should it happen, what does this say about the budget process in the Town of Lancaster?
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