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Thread: Don't share tax until city changes its ways

  1. #1
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Buffalo, New York, United States
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    Don't share tax until city changes its ways

    Regarding Donn Esmonde's recent lament that Erie County has never seen fit to share a portion of the extra 1 percent of the sales tax with Buffalo, his argument overlooks the fact that the city spends money like a drunken sailor on shore leave.
    The most recent example of this proclivity is the overly generous police union contract negotiated by the Masiello administration wherein, in order to obtain one-officer patrols for assignments to typically non-hazardous calls, Buffalo was forced to "buy off" the police officers' union with raises of $5,000 per officer retroactive to July 1, 2002, substantial future (and, unaffordable) raises of more than $13,000 per officer over four years, plus promises of no layoffs until 2007. The city, which is already carrying $465 million in long-term debt, will have to borrow $29 million more from the state to help fund this deal.

    About 12 years ago, I served on a Buffalo Police Reorganization Commission that recommended the "one officer/one car" concept for calls to situations unlikely to be violent. Yet the police union obstructed and delayed even this modest improvement in efficiency - long ago adopted by most municipal police departments - for over a decade, all that time costing the city savings the taxpayers desperately needed and deserved.

    Based on the foregoing, perhaps Erie County could offer to share a portion of that extra 1 percent of the sales tax in return for the appointment of a state control board with the power to abrogate impossibly "rich" union contracts, and the resumption of negotiations between the county and city to consolidate the Buffalo Police Department into the Erie County Sheriff's Department.

    Then, and only then, can the county be assured that its investment of that portion of the extra penny of the sales tax in the city - and the county property tax increase that such a sharing will surely bring - will not be squandered by our profligate city politicians.

    KENNETH R. KIRBY
    Buffalo

    www.buffalo.com

  2. #2
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    Ken, what parts did you leave out of the negotiated contract ? An arbitrator didn't award this contract , it was negotiated. Maybe you left out the fact that 1 Officer patrol cars will be utilized in all districts of the city, at all hours of the day. Maybe the fact that the city won the right to modify the work schedule. Maybe the fact that overtime will be almost nonexistent. Maybe the fact that the Commissioner will be appointing 5 new Chiefs to oversee each district. Maybe the fact that the 100 current tier 1 retirement plan Officers have an incentive to retire, saving the city more money. Maybe the fact that the city does not have to budget any money to hire Officers. It is easy to point out the benefits to the Officers, to stress your point, but , the City Negotiated this contract, nobody twisted their arms. The problem is Joel Giambra, who has the mindset, if it isn't his idea, it is a bad one. Since when does the county executive lobby the governor, by his own admission, not to grant state aid , to the city which he lives/works in. It is obvious, anything that is not on his political agenda, he will attempt to sabotage. Look at the Sabres deal. All you heard from him was that Hamister, is the only serious bidder. That the county can help his political supporter, a multimillionaire, by giving him 33 million dollars to buy the Sabres, that the county can't afford not to. What a scam. Why doesn't his consolidation plan go to the highest denomonator, which every, successful police consolidation has done ? Look into it, I have.

  3. #3
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    Just blaming the city government, as flawed they are, is scapegoating. There are many, many reasons to blame. But at this point we need to get away from the blame game and try to do. Look into the future and start doing actual planning, not repeating the mistakes of the past. Maybe the control board can do it... but then again, I just think the city residents will lose out as usual.

    -Seth

  4. #4
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    Seems the guy who "looked into it" seems to know a lot about the retirement programs of the BPD. Is it possible that he is a Buffalo police officeer? Sounds like it to me..
    If that's the case, it would make sense why he's defending the 11th hour contract. Those guys will do anything to keep things from changing. It's the same bunch who blocked off the 33 because they were pissed off, remember?
    Let's hope the control board disbands them as an organization and makes a regional police force with a little more managerial oversight.

  5. #5
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    Whats gonna happen if the control board says the contract is null and the police retaliate?

    It's time for the residents of WNY to put thier foot down and say.. this is it or go find another job. This isn't a matter of not wanting to pay people, this is the matter of the money just isn't there.

    Also, law or not, who ever worked up the contracts or thier "union" laws needs to be removed.

    Exactly who is bob meegan? How much does Bob get paid for what ever he does? He will be the first that needs to go.

  6. #6
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    If the police "retaliate"..?
    Like going on strike or blocking the 33 again?
    Well, Pataki the Republican should read his history book and do what Ronald Reagan did to the air traffic controllers union - fire them on the spot.
    In the interim he can deploy the National Guard (there's still an MP unit at the Connecticut St armory, I believe) and State Troopers under a state of emergency decree until a new police force is hired and trained. The control board can nullify any existing contracts and those guys can find work elsewhere.
    It will be a rough few months but the problem will be solved and New York State will have a new way of dealing with municipal bankruptcy problems.

  7. #7
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    why don't we as citizens take the lead and see if the national guard can do this and prepare to just fire them all. It's our money, it's our city and most important it's our decision.


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