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Thread: Showdown looms over city budget

  1. #31
    Member andreahaxton's Avatar
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    Post Here it is......

    Quote Originally Posted by andreahaxton View Post
    AGENDA
    COUNCIL MEETING
    MONDAY, JULY 9, 2012
    COUNCIL CHAMBERS

    A resolution establishing a 0% shift for Lackawanna School District adjusted base proportions.
    A resolution establishing a 20% shift for Lackawanna School District adjusted base proportions
    A resolution establishing a 20% shift for city of Lackawanna adjusted base proportions

    Ordinances
    An ordinance adopting the operation budget for the City of Lackawanna 2012 – 2013.
    Tabled Items:
    ************************************************** ********************************
    :eek
    :

    Lackawanna OKs veto-free budget

    By Jay Tokasz
    News Staff Reporter
    Published:July 10, 2012, 12:00 AM

    The Lackawanna City Council overrode Mayor Geoffrey M. Szymanski's budget vetoes Monday and approved a $23.6 million city spending plan for 2012-13.

    Council members spent little time during Monday's meeting speaking about the budget, which has become a source of contention between them and the mayor.

    Council President Henry R. Pirowski simply described the Council's budget, which was first adopted June 9, as "more fiscally prudent" than what Szymanski and his department heads had proposed.

    Szymanski vetoed 19 separate line items of the Council's budget, which slashed the salaries of several department heads, cut allocations for overtime in the Police and Fire departments and eliminated proposed hirings of additional public works employees and a new police officer.

    In particular, the Council moved to cut the salaries of the longtime city comptroller and the commissioner of public works by two-thirds, to $10,000 per year.

    Both of those department heads already are receiving pension funds from the state retirement system.

    Council members argued during the back-and-forth of the budget process that the city could not afford spending more for employees and needed to trim wherever possible.

    Szymanski maintained that understaffing in public works could threaten the delivery of basic city services such as garbage collection and snowplowing.

    With its veto override by a 4-0 vote, the Council's budget will now guide spending for the 2012-13 fiscal year, which begins Aug. 1.

    Also Monday, the Council rejected a request from the Lackawanna City School District to maintain the 2011-12 proportion of taxes raised from homestead and nonhomestead properties in 2012-13 - at least for school taxes.

    Instead, the Council again approved a 20 percent shift - which means more of the property tax burden will now fall on city homeowners in an effort to ease taxes on businesses and spur commercial growth.

    The move increases the city's homestead tax rate by 7.7 percent, to $13.33 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The nonhomestead rate will decrease by 10.7 percent, to $31.65 per $1,000. The shift was intended to help small businesses locate in Lackawanna, Pirowski said.

    But resident Joseph Dicenzo argued that the tax shift will benefit big businesses only, while driving away more city homeowners and ultimately hurting the small businesses.

    "You're going to hurt them," he said, "because the people who patronize mom-and-pop businesses are going to have less money."

    [email]jtokasz@buffnews.com[/email


  2. #32
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Both of those department heads already are receiving pension funds from the state retirement system.
    Why are they on payroll at all? They retired.

  3. #33
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    Friends and family club. There is so much more to the story of these two and the city. Scam artists and the sad part is
    Norm Polanski and Jeff Szymanski were and are aware of it! One is a relation who resides in Hamburg but dutifully votes in Lackawanna. Isn't that fraud of some sort!???

  4. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by stonecold View Post
    Friends and family club. There is so much more to the story of these two and the city. Scam artists and the sad part is
    Norm Polanski and Jeff Szymanski were and are aware of it! One is a relation who resides in Hamburg but dutifully votes in Lackawanna. Isn't that fraud of some sort!???
    Of course it is fraud. It happens all the time.

  5. #35
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    I heard that a certain business owner had his whole
    Family register to vote last mayoral election using the business address like they live there when in fact they live in West Seneca. Think one is a committeeman too. Certain "players" hang at the establishment too. Wonder if some
    Strong arming is going on?

  6. #36
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    My mistake, they live in Orchard Park, not W Seneca

  7. #37
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    So the council and mayor don't care about seniors and those deciding to buy medicine or food. They added hundreds of dollars to the tax bill of homeowners they're supposed to represent, while adding to the bottom line of multi billion dollar companies, development corporations, used car sales and bar owners. Try selling a house now!!!

  8. #38
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    Dollar General

    "Instead, the Council again approved a 20 percent shift - which means more of the property tax burden will now fall on city homeowners in an effort to ease taxes on businesses and spur commercial growth."


    Commercial Growth??? Like LA needs another Dollar General, tavern, or pizza place??? And we all how well LA plays with businesses...just ask Sorrento!!!

  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by youcangohome View Post
    So the council and mayor don't care about seniors and those deciding to buy medicine or food. They added hundreds of dollars to the tax bill of homeowners they're supposed to represent, while adding to the bottom line of multi billion dollar companies, development corporations, used car sales and bar owners. Try selling a house now!!!
    We are selling. I've had it with this city, the low taxes were the only thing we had going for us, but between the $600 flood insurance and the increase in taxes it's comparable to what I'll be paying in Hamburg or West Seneca. After assessing our situation, with some dutiful saving we will be ready to move in 9 months. The for sale sign goes up May 1st! Here's hoping something can really be done about the flood insurance, it would make it so much easier to sell.

  10. #40
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    This is exactly what you get when the Democratic chairman backs to republicans for office!

  11. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by jenrose66 View Post
    We are selling. I've had it with this city, the low taxes were the only thing we had going for us, but between the $600 flood insurance and the increase in taxes it's comparable to what I'll be paying in Hamburg or West Seneca. After assessing our situation, with some dutiful saving we will be ready to move in 9 months. The for sale sign goes up May 1st! Here's hoping something can really be done about the flood insurance, it would make it so much easier to sell.
    GOOD for YOU. Get out and you will be pleasantly surprised by the quality of life OUTSIDE Lackawanna.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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    Quote Originally Posted by literal View Post
    GOOD for YOU. Get out and you will be pleasantly surprised by the quality of life OUTSIDE Lackawanna.
    It just all adds up, you know? Our neighborhood is going down the tubes, the schools (excluding the elementary), there is nothing family friendly about the city, plus there are a lack of young families...the taxes are the last straw.

    We are at a crossroads. I like my house, my kids each have their own big bedroom, we have a nice big lot...if I could pick up this house and move it, I'd be happy. But location is everything and I want better for my kids. We've been talking about it for a while, it's hard to make a change, but it's for the best. Personally, I'd like to move out of the state entirely. You go south and the taxes are cheaper, lots of places there is no state income tax...but my husband's not there yet.

  13. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by jenrose66 View Post
    It just all adds up, you know? Our neighborhood is going down the tubes, the schools (excluding the elementary), there is nothing family friendly about the city, plus there are a lack of young families...the taxes are the last straw.

    We are at a crossroads. I like my house, my kids each have their own big bedroom, we have a nice big lot...if I could pick up this house and move it, I'd be happy. But location is everything and I want better for my kids. We've been talking about it for a while, it's hard to make a change, but it's for the best. Personally, I'd like to move out of the state entirely. You go south and the taxes are cheaper, lots of places there is no state income tax...but my husband's not there yet.
    NYS is still the best place to be if you have children. The culture in the south is very slow and they like "mediocre." No pressure. Great place to be if you are retired but NOT the place to be still raising children. Also, many places in the south are "Right to Work States" so there is no job security. In Florida there are 4 things to do...play golf, shop, go out to eat and go to the beach.

    Do NOT expect to see a strong work ethic in the south and this is NOT Corporate America. You might even be shocked to see how they dress for church...everyone wears shorts including the men!
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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    Quote Originally Posted by youcangohome View Post
    So the council and mayor don't care about seniors and those deciding to buy medicine or food. They added hundreds of dollars to the tax bill of homeowners they're supposed to represent, while adding to the bottom line of multi billion dollar companies, development corporations, used car sales and bar owners. Try selling a house now!!!
    Youcangohome, what the heck are you smoking??? How many multi billion dollar companies are in Lackawanna? Lackawanna needs to attract more businesses and investement, that is how you grow the tax base with less burden on everyone. No one buys and fixes up rental properties in Lackawanna because the non-homestead taxes are so high that there is no profit in it. If we lower the non-homestead rate dramatically, you will see investment in Lackawanna and see revitalization of properties.

    not perfect, but a step in the right direction by the council. And don't tell me that the city can't deliver services now. That is an empty threat that government uses to raise taxes. Does no one find it strange that all of a sudden DPW can't pick up recyclables??? Yeah right

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    Quote Originally Posted by highestpropertytaxes View Post
    Youcangohome, what the heck are you smoking??? How many multi billion dollar companies are in Lackawanna? Lackawanna needs to attract more businesses and investement, that is how you grow the tax base with less burden on everyone. No one buys and fixes up rental properties in Lackawanna because the non-homestead taxes are so high that there is no profit in it. If we lower the non-homestead rate dramatically, you will see investment in Lackawanna and see revitalization of properties.

    not perfect, but a step in the right direction by the council. And don't tell me that the city can't deliver services now. That is an empty threat that government uses to raise taxes. Does no one find it strange that all of a sudden DPW can't pick up recyclables??? Yeah right
    You are absolutely correct. This is the tactics used by the public sector when they don't like the reality of todays economy. Empty threats and a slow down of service. I wonder what the cost is to the taxpayers for the DPW. Let see things like wages, benefits, retirement benefits, health ins., cost of vehicles, gasoline, maintaince of vehicles, salt, supervision, over time, etc? Then I wonder why the suburbs OUTSOURCE the job to the private sector. What is the amount of the tax bill that is DPW related? Would it be cheaper to reduce the taxes and have the garbage picked up by private corps and outsource the snow removal to private enterprises? JUST A THOUGHT.

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