Lackawanna School Board Shenanigans

[getalife123]

Are you really this stupid, or do you just like creating chaos? The city council changed the tax rate by shifting 51% onto the homeowners. As far as the rest of your gripes, you don't know ****. You didn't know **** about the board clerk, were proven wrong by Literal, and don't know **** about anything else.

Go away. I know more than you could possibly imagine. The same tactic used by the JM group and it is getting very boring. Come back when you have something to offer to the conversation. Literal didn't prove anything. She made a statement and offered information which I appreciated. Your comments just show your lack of class. I also seem to have struck a nerve. Do have a personal a stake in the show? You haven't offered any valid points to the conversation. So if that is the case then keep your comment to yourself. Just imagine if I had taken the time called you a ******* ****** or a ****** ******.

[andreahaxton]

" change. As a native Lackawannan, I have a personal commitment to make this happen for our School District and our City.........."

"" OUR City "" ??!!??

Last year at a BOE meeting I asked Mr. Korach where he lived........and guess what he said? Noootttt Lackawanna! Yep, Orchard Park.....the creme de le creme'! Is that " OUR CITY "....... which is in HIS mission statement as Superintendent of Lackawanna Schools!

Other Changes/Facts:

* Graduation rates from Lackawanna School District have declined sooooo bad that they are the 2nd lowest in Western New York!
* OUR School rankings according to Business First's State figures have flat-lined for years and years as the 2nd worst district in WNY
* ETC.!

[andreahaxton]

Are you really this stupid, or do you just like creating chaos? The city council changed the tax rate by shifting 51% onto the homeowners. As far as the rest of your gripes, you don't know ****. You didn't know **** about the board clerk, were proven wrong by Literal, and don't know **** about anything else.

"council changed the tax rate by shifting 51% onto the homeowners."

OK gohome.......Now YOU PROVE that you know what you are talking about ..........Please explain YOUR posted statements to us.

BTW.......getalife is right about the point he was making......Literal did not prove them wrong at all........and he/she is farrrrrrr from stupid! Literal was just pointing out the Organizational Chart, not the point of contention they were trying to discuss.

getalife123's postings are consistant facts that can be easily proven, OR you and your "family and friends" members would have had them for dinner! Please! As far as the latest rumor about a BOE member moving......whatever! Their point is, the self-serving deals trying to go down, at the expense of the innocent tax payers and OUR babies educational future! Please!

Redeem yourself by proving yourself on "the tax rate shift".Just the facts!

[LAsurvivor]

Are you really this stupid, or do you just like creating chaos? The city council changed the tax rate by shifting 51% onto the homeowners. As far as the rest of your gripes, you don't know ****. You didn't know **** about the board clerk, were proven wrong by Literal, and don't know **** about anything else.

The City Council changed the tax rate at the recommendation of the Mayor and the City Assessor. And it's the right thing to do so as to not kill the businesses. Maybe now we will have a grocery store or some of the other business developments that other communities enjoy.

[Diane Kozak]

Are you really this stupid, or do you just like creating chaos? The city council changed the tax rate by shifting 51% onto the homeowners. As far as the rest of your gripes, you don't know ****. You didn't know **** about the board clerk, were proven wrong by Literal, and don't know **** about anything else.

Before the council's 20% shift in the homestead/non-homestead base proportions, homestead (we homeowners were paying approx. 45% of the tax base and non-homestead (small businesses & 4 unit apt. buildings) were paying 54%. Now with adopting the 20% shift, homeowners will be paying 50.63% of the bae proportion and non-homestead will be @ 49.36%. This means that instead of paying the $ ,19 per thousand increase we voted on in the adoption of the school district budget, we will land up pay $1,79 per $1,000.00 more as the increase for our school taxes. How we can vote on a budget agreeing to an increase of $ 0.19 and land up having to pay $1.79 increase which we didn't approve is puzzling.

Had the council done this shift prior to March, when the city assessors send an uncertified copy of the entire city's assessment to the scholl so the BOE can start of figuring it's budget proposal for the voters in May, would have helped this entire situation. Something of note...On the city's official website, the City Treasurer has the school's fiscal year listed as being from September 1 to August 31. WRONG It's July 1 to June 30. Perhaps these erroneous dates of the school's fiscal year is the misinformation the Mayor received which started the whole fiasco.

Don't get me wrong. Small business needs a tax break & eventually we should all be paying the same tax rates (abolishing homestead/non-homestead) as do the rest of the surrounding areas in Erie County. but, a 10% shift would be more sufficient for these economic times. It could have been a win/win all the way. Businesses would be happy, homeownsers wouldn't face that much of an increase and moderation in the change might have been more acceptable to the general public.

[literal]

Well, all I really meant to post was #15 that pertained to the board clerk. I understad what GetaLife is saying but the board clerk is simply NOT accountable (directly) to taxpayers.Whether it is Annette or someone else, that person will maintain the same position as you see now. If you ask for something she has to tell the Board President and then do what she is directed to do or not do....

As far as John filling in a vacant seat????? He has to be voted in...if he has enough votes...he is in...take your concerns to the new BOE members and then next year....vote in new members. Sorry.

[jenrose66]

Before the council's 20% shift in the homestead/non-homestead base proportions, homestead (we homeowners were paying approx. 45% of the tax base and non-homestead (small businesses & 4 unit apt. buildings) were paying 54%. Now with adopting the 20% shift, homeowners will be paying 50.63% of the bae proportion and non-homestead will be @ 49.36%. This means that instead of paying the $ ,19 per thousand increase we voted on in the adoption of the school district budget, we will land up pay $1,79 per $1,000.00 more as the increase for our school taxes. How we can vote on a budget agreeing to an increase of $ 0.19 and land up having to pay $1.79 increase which we didn't approve is puzzling.

Had the council done this shift prior to March, when the city assessors send an uncertified copy of the entire city's assessment to the scholl so the BOE can start of figuring it's budget proposal for the voters in May, would have helped this entire situation. Something of note...On the city's official website, the City Treasurer has the school's fiscal year listed as being from September 1 to August 31. WRONG It's July 1 to June 30. Perhaps these erroneous dates of the school's fiscal year is the misinformation the Mayor received which started the whole fiasco.

Don't get me wrong. Small business needs a tax break & eventually we should all be paying the same tax rates (abolishing homestead/non-homestead) as do the rest of the surrounding areas in Erie County. but, a 10% shift would be more sufficient for these economic times. It could have been a win/win all the way. Businesses would be happy, homeownsers wouldn't face that much of an increase and moderation in the change might have been more acceptable to the general public.

I would agree with you in saying that some of the tax burden should be shifted. I would also agree that the shift should have happened in smaller increments, I mean, we've been this way so long, what's taking a few years of incremental increases going to hurt?

I'd also like to take it a step further and say, let this new council and mayor show that they've earned these extra tax dollars before taking them. You go somewhere like Orchard Park or the Village of Hamburg, you see clean public spaces and nice playgrounds. You don't see that here...so what do they need more of my money for? Instead of more lip service about what we are going to see, go out and get it done! It's nice weather, it's not expensive to clean up some trash and do some landscaping...knock down a couple of the condemned buildings on Center St. Make me feel good about how my tax dollars are being spent.

This is a bit off topic but, my neighborhood has gotten to the point that I feel like I can't put my kids in the car without having my pepper spray on me. There are some people on my street that are not restraining their pitbulls. I witnessed the owner sic his dog on a deer that was in the yard across the street from me, and then he could not get control of his dog. I called animal control to complain as this is not only a violation of the leash law, but the fact that he was letting the dog attack a deer is a violation in itself. Animal control will not call me back. I have left at least two messages as well as called the police non emergency line to make sure the animal control line is actually monitored by a person. No one cares. It's disheartening.

Last year I tried to bring attention to the deplorable conditions of some of the playgrounds. Nothing was done last year...this year on Center they did pull up one rotted wood board that had a particularly rusty spike in it, but that's it. It's sexy for them to say, we are going to make the playgrounds nice and fix blight, but it's all talk. You should see the sidewalks around the baseball field on Franklin, they are so cracked and filled with weeds that I can't push a stroller on it and my son can't ride his bike on it. Use my tax dollars and fix it!

At this point I don't even know why I'm paying taxes, we are totally on our own in my neighborhood. I know people will say that you need to speak up and try to change things but it seems like such an exercise in futility and you end up getting all worked up for nothing. It seems more productive to bide my time and make my property as nice as I can and hope that by the time I can afford to move my home still has a little equity left.

[andreahaxton]

Are you really this stupid, or do you just like creating chaos? The city council changed the tax rate by shifting 51% onto the homeowners. As far as the rest of your gripes, you don't know ****. You didn't know **** about the board clerk, were proven wrong by Literal, and don't know **** about anything else.

Wellllllllllllllllll?!?

Cat got your tongue? Or should I say soap for swearing so much?!
Why didn't you explain your post?

Diane Kozak who knows, and UNDERSTANDS the facts of how the huge "tax shift" works out had to do it for you! Thanks, Diane!

[andreahaxton]

I would agree with you in saying that some of the tax burden should be shifted. I would also agree that the shift should have happened in smaller increments, I mean, we've been this way so long, what's taking a few years of incremental increases going to hurt?

I'd also like to take it a step further and say, let this new council and mayor show that they've earned these extra tax dollars before taking them. You go somewhere like Orchard Park or the Village of Hamburg, you see clean public spaces and nice playgrounds. You don't see that here...so what do they need more of my money for? Instead of more lip service about what we are going to see, go out and get it done! It's nice weather, it's not expensive to clean up some trash and do some landscaping...knock down a couple of the condemned buildings on Center St. Make me feel good about how my tax dollars are being spent.

This is a bit off topic but, my neighborhood has gotten to the point that I feel like I can't put my kids in the car without having my pepper spray on me. There are some people on my street that are not restraining their pitbulls. I witnessed the owner sic his dog on a deer that was in the yard across the street from me, and then he could not get control of his dog. I called animal control to complain as this is not only a violation of the leash law, but the fact that he was letting the dog attack a deer is a violation in itself. Animal control will not call me back. I have left at least two messages as well as called the police non emergency line to make sure the animal control line is actually monitored by a person. No one cares. It's disheartening.

Last year I tried to bring attention to the deplorable conditions of some of the playgrounds. Nothing was done last year...this year on Center they did pull up one rotted wood board that had a particularly rusty spike in it, but that's it. It's sexy for them to say, we are going to make the playgrounds nice and fix blight, but it's all talk. You should see the sidewalks around the baseball field on Franklin, they are so cracked and filled with weeds that I can't push a stroller on it and my son can't ride his bike on it. Use my tax dollars and fix it!

At this point I don't even know why I'm paying taxes, we are totally on our own in my neighborhood. I know people will say that you need to speak up and try to change things but it seems like such an exercise in futility and you end up getting all worked up for nothing. It seems more productive to bide my time and make my property as nice as I can and hope that by the time I can afford to move my home still has a little equity left.

" disheartening " is a mild way to put it.........when you have been at it as long as I have it is plain old sickening! And that dog thing is a criminal act I bet! Pepper spray........sad-sad-SAD!

For years I thought I could affect change, and when I got on the Council I thought it would be easier to do from the inside out.
Boy was I wrong!
All my ideas....suggestions....plans.....goals, etc., always fell on deaf ears. The orange crate doesn't like change because that means work. We are a reactive City NOT a proactive City that listens to the pulse of the people.......they pretend to election years though!
While on the Council people kept asking my plans etc.-----I tried and tried, and then it dawned on me.........lots and LOTS of people were making BIG money off this City......and it was THEIR job to keep it clean, modern, and vibrant.......starting in the top floor of the orange crate.

People take-take-take......but do not care enough to give back to OUR beat-down old City. The same family and friends patronage club have controlled the elections/politicians for years and until we get individuals with a back-bone in charge.......sadly, nothing will change in LA.
The location of where the majority of LA teachers, firemen, and policemen live speaks volumes! And where THEIR kids go to school too!

I ask you to hang in there.....the ship has not sunk yet.....and when the old sea-dogs really retire we might finally SEE change! But then again, I don't know where or how they will start to build the FUND BALANCE back up, other than by prudent spending and NO PATRONAGE.....our City is broke.....because they have been out spending "the people's" money like drunken sailors for many-many years! And not on the playgrounds or curb appeal as you fully realize at your young age!

[bluethunder]

I just don't think some people get it. There is really no tax increase just a tax shift. Yes homeowners pay more but the businesses have been carrying the city for years. You the taxpayer were played by previous administrations and their no tax increase or mini tax increase budgets while the businesses got hammered. Have you seen all the vacant businesses? For instance a certain doctor moved to Orchard Park and built a whole new state of the art facility there a few years back. The taxes on the new facility which was larger than the old one in Lackawanna were about half of what he was paying here. The time to do this shift is now before the homeowners pay the entire budget in the future. You can thank your old school Democratic Party for this mess after all they have been in power since 1972 with no checks and balances. Atleast the newcomers see the problems and are willing to put their butts on the line rather than kicking the can down the road like previous administrations did.

[Diane Kozak]

Sorry you have come to the point of fearing for yourself & children, JenRose. You're not alone. A lot of second warders worry about their respective safety in the neighborhoods in which they live. I hear you & them loud & clear. Time will tell if I can be a positive factor for change or not. Hang in there. I haven't given up yet, because I feel you're worth my efforts.

[literal]

If it is true that someone is leaving a vacant seat on the BOE and if they do appoint JM the State will be watching this and quite frankly all those who do vote him in deserved to be removed as they are not following the WILL OF THE PEOPLE who did not vote for JM at election time causing him to be the LOWEST vote getter.

Let's hope those voting board members show RESPECT to the VOTERS!!!!!

[getalife123]

That is the recent rumor. I would think it would HAVE to be Gambino since she had more votes than John. Maybe that is why those board minutes are not posted. You know those Special Meetings they call. I would think this would have to take place before the reorganizational meeting to secure the votes. You do not vote for yourself and I would hope the #3 new members would not vote for JOHN.

[getalife123]

Special BOE Meeting 6/28/12, 6:00pm. Financial & Personnel Matters. Updated yesterday on Board Meeting Schedule.

[literal]

The BOE can appoint ANYONE they want to fill a vacated seat. Some districts honor the next highest vote getter but most pick who they want as it is a temporary appointment until the next election in May 2013.