Reply With QuoteSalary increases
Parks – General Crew Chief 12.45%;
I hope that was a typo.
The tentative 2011 Town of Lancaster budget is available for review at the Town Clerk’s office. As it now stands, spending will increase by $2.1 million, 7.4%.
Lancaster residents just went through a property reassessment (reval) where all properties are assessed at 100% market value, based on home comparables and property sales. Although the final numbers won’t be available until later in October, the town’ valuation increased from $2.32 billion to $2.62 billion, 12.5% increase. Apparently this increase is a signal for the town to spend freely while most likely telling the property owners that their tax rate has decreased.
Examining the numbers
The General Budget (minus Special Districts and refuse) increases from $21.33 million to $23.23 million; an 8.94% increase.
The Special Districts and Refuse Budget increases from $6.82 million to $ 7.01 million; a 2.7% increase.
The Total Budget spending increases from $28.15 million to $30.24 million; a 7.4% increase.
The General Fund (Townwide) Budget increases from $8.07 million to $8.63 million; a 6.96% increase.
The General Fund (Town Outside Villages) Budget increases from $868,230 to $ 989,479; a 13.96% increase.
The Police Fund Budget increases from $8.44 million to $9.01 million; a 7.71% increase.
The Highway Fund (Town Outside Villages) Budget increases from $3.70 million to $4.13 million, an 11.68% increase.
The Amount to be Raised by Taxation (tax levy) increases from $18.11 million to $21.07 million; a 16.32%.
Revenues for 2010 increased by $94,742, 1.2%
Whereas $1.59 million of fund balance reserves were used in the 2010 budget, only $1.1 million is being used in this year’s budget.
Pension costs have risen significantly.
Salary increases
Council Members (4) – 2.75%
Town Justices (2) – 2.75%
Supervisor & staff – 2.75%
Town Clerk & staff – 2.75%
Town Attorney & staff – 2.75%
Dog Control Officer – 2.75%
Assistant Dog Control Officer – 4.76%
Parks – General Crew Chief 12.45%; Laborers 2.75%
Youth Bureau staff – 2.75%
Programs for the Aging – Recreation Director 5.58%
Building Department staff – 2.75%
Police Department:
Police – 3%
Clerks – 2.75%
Dispatchers – 1.90%
Director of Finance – 2.75%
Highway Department – Superintendant & staff 2.75%
Woof, if this budget goes through as is, some of you where your assessments increased significantly over the 12.5% break point are in for some big tax hikes.
Comments, please.
Salary increases
Parks – General Crew Chief 12.45%;
I hope that was a typo.
Georgia L Schlager
The 12.45% salary increase listed in the 2011 tentative budget was explained away at last night;s Town Board meeting. McCracken's base salary and his $6,000 stipend for being building manager were combined. He is getting a 2.75% salary increase like everyone else in his Department.Originally Posted by gorja
I hope that was a typo.
So the average salary increased (I didn't do the math) was about 2.9% and the Budget increase is about 9%? So everything else went up 6%?
It's not that simple. There are many line items in the budget where spending increases take place because of increases in health and retirement costs, debt service and providing for town operations.
Spending in the tentative budget has increased significally. Reasons why will be made known at the budget public hearing. The one thing that should not be accepted is that with reval the new tax rate will decrease and sold by the town as proof they are fiscally responsible. Look at the spending increase and make sure that it's justified.
Lancaster's total tentative spending increase of 7.4% is a very large increase compared to other towns.Originally posted by Lee Chowaniec:
Spending in the tentative budget has increased significally. Reasons why will be made known at the budget public hearing. The one thing that should not be accepted is that with reval the new tax rate will decrease and sold by the town as proof they are fiscally responsible. Look at the spending increase and make sure that it's justified.
Amherst- tentative tax decrease of -.15%
Cheektowaga- tentative spending increase +3.6%
Clarence- tentative spending increase 2.48% Tax increase- +$.0037/1000
Town of Tonawanda- tentative spending increase 3.7% tentative 4.9% tax increase
West Seneca- tentative tax decrease of 1.09%- -.19/1000
Amherst reduced spending while increasing their reserves. Clarence's budget does not include increases for most elected officials.
It doesn't matter the size of the other towns. Some are larger and some are smaller but no one seems to have a LARGE increase like Lancaster.
Georgia L Schlager
This is pissing me off, so what do we do, why is it that resident's don't get all worked up over this? Next year we are going to hit the roof, so this year we have to do something.
So my question is, do we take up petitions, do we hold some sort of forum, do we pound the town board, do we take ad's out in the paper what???
Information provided by Lee C., a Lancaster police officer is paid:
$65,358 – base salary
$1500.00 – Clothing allowance
$1625 – Longevity pay
$1278 – Shift equalization rate
$1650 – Briefing pay
$71,411
Plus they get picked off and dropped off at home, plus take home cars for school resource officers and captains. I am sure much else hidden. Wow!
Here are some of the police budgets I could find online. Bear in mind Lancaster PD proposed 2011 is $9.09 million
Hamburg $6,779,605
West Seneca $6,962,519
City of Tonawanda $2,692,408
Town Aurora $1,300,000
East Aurora $1,707,660
Erie County Sheriff (15 towns, 3 villages, reservation) $13,876,597
Am I missing something?
Oh boy, realist that sure is something else. WOW we are close to a 15 town, 3 village proposed 2011 budget!!!!
Wake up people, hey serviceguy I am with the notion as it seems most are, that cut cut cut is what we need across the board.
Realist, what about Amherst, what is the police budget for that area? What does a taxpayer do to protest this? Lee what should we all be doing. This is crazy when you compare the towns and see that we are one of the highest???
Oh, did we merge the police force with Depew? Was that suppose to make a difference?
What should we do about the budget? What the great majority of Lancaster taxpayers who will see a decrease in taxes, or little tax liability increase, will be doing is nothing. To them the town is doing just fine. A 7.4% town spending increase, who cares? It didn’t cost hem anything, or much of anything in taxes.
An individual’s perspective will be based on how the reval affected them and how their reassessment will affect the bottom line.
If the spending really irks you, what can you do about it, you ask? Oh you can go to the public hearing and bitch about it; that is, in the five minutes allotted you. You can pick out some line items you feel are out of line, or whatever. The bottom line is that you have no voting power over the budget and the Town Board can do as they please.
Some items that irk me:
• By contract the police get 3% salary increases; increases in longevity pay, overtime, etc. They do not pay anything into the pension or health care programs.
• By union contracts, all town employees will be receiving a 2.75% salary increase. They pay nothing for health and dental care and only 3% into the pension system (I believe for the first 10 years of their employment. These are the contracts that are approved by the Town Board.
• Employee Benefits costs increased by $544,013 in the 2011 budget. Personal Services increased by $583,341 in the 2011 budget. Seniors are getting no Social Security increase for the second consecutive year. Many individuals lost jobs and have not seen a salary increase in years, lost pension programs and are paying more for skyrocketing health care plans. The aforementioned are expected to pick up the town slack and say thank you if their taxes didn’t increase, or much at all. That’s the system.
• In the 2010 budget, $1.5 million of reserves were used to offset appropriations. This year only $1.1 million of reserves are being used. Why? Could it possibly be political, to set themselves up for a responsibly fiscal budget to make the Party of the three political candidates look good for their re-election, or others of the Democratic Party. It's always about politics.
BTW Shorstuff, the Depew Police force has not merged with Lancaster. And, it looks like the Amherst police fund budget is somewhere near $25 million.
SS.......the Amherst Police have a budget just over $28 million. They are a department with 165 sworn Officers.
The Erie County Sheriff can NO WAY IN HELL run a 200 strong road patrol on $13.5 million, a lot of the Sheriffs costs are "hidden" in other areas of the budget, including the jail.
Do you have any idea how much a Helicopter costs to fly? I'm glad they have it, but it ain't gonna fall on a $13.5 million budget. Secondly even if you look at salary differences, it still wouldn't make up the difference. I guarantee it costs closer to $22-25 million to operate the road division.
It would be VERY interesting to see an actual budget comparison spreadsheet between towns in Erie County. I have the feeling Lancaster is one of the highest.
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