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Thread: Americorps off the hook?

  1. #1
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    Americorps off the hook?

    At the June 23rd Town Board Meeting Comptroller Bielecki stated:

    "that as of December 31, 2006 the advance (of WS taxpayer money to Americorps) was over $1 million, as of December 31, 2007 the advance was over $1,600,000 and on June 20, 2008 the advance had grown to $2,095,000. This was money the town was losing interest on and money that was growing exponentially."

    As of now, nothing is on the record stating ML and Americorps has made any attempt to pay the money back, yet something very interesting has popped up on the Agenda for this Monday's Meeting.....

    "Youth Director re Zeroing out AmeriCorps Program negative balance"

    Does this mean that ML is being forgiven this gross over spending and burdoning the tax payers of West Seneca?

    Can anyone shed some light on this?

  2. #2
    Member snowwhite's Avatar
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    Angry Is this legal?!

    Does the Town Board have the authority to ignore a debt that is almost $3 million dollars of taxpayers money? If it is, then that's incredible. I've never heard anything like this and if its true, then the Town Board members who support it should be impeached. And I'm serious. What is everyone elses thoughts on this?

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    Member MERL J's Avatar
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    Seems like a classic case of "double-dipping" that is supported by your town representatives. Who's got what on whom?

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    Does West Seneca receive 2 million in services from Americorps of West Seneca?
    Are all those youths, who I see wander aimlessly around with Americorps, from West Seneca?

    I sometimes eat lunch at the Indian Church St. Park and have observed those youths. There will be a dozen of them get out of the Americorps van and walk around as if they are picking up trash.
    They more resemble a rag tag team of misfits strolling through a park doing nothing.

    If it where my tax dollars, I'd ask for a refund.

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    If the truth be told......

    Quote Originally Posted by LHardy View Post
    Does West Seneca receive 2 million in services from Americorps of West Seneca?
    Are all those youths, who I see wander aimlessly around with Americorps, from West Seneca?

    I sometimes eat lunch at the Indian Church St. Park and have observed those youths. There will be a dozen of them get out of the Americorps van and walk around as if they are picking up trash.
    They more resemble a rag tag team of misfits strolling through a park doing nothing.

    If it where my tax dollars, I'd ask for a refund.
    LHardy,

    I have known a few of the Americorp volunteers, and the majority of them are from the city and surrounding towns, like Lackawanna, Blasdell, etc. Mostly from the poorer towns and the poor sections of the city. And no we do not receive $2 million dollars in services from the program. They mostly help out in communities that need assistance because they can't afford to get things done on their own. They would have you believe that they help WS but its not true. Can anyone think of one thing that they have done in our town? They are suppose to keep the Burchfield park maintained, but if you been there recently like I have, its a mess.

    I'm afraid we have been ripped off. We are expected to pay our taxes each year or we could lose our homes and now Americorp is in debt and we bail them out with our tax dollars. This is more than I can stomach.

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    In debt to who?

    Or are you just refering to them costing WS 2 mil?

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    How actual many kids are in the local program?

    And how many employees are being paid?

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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    In debt to who?

    Or are you just refering to them costing WS 2 mil?

    Americorp overspent their grants and WS fronted the monies, so I guess I should have said that the town is in debt because they lost over $2 million by giving it to Americorp, hoping they would pay it back. But it hasn't happened yet and I doubt it will.

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    Quote Originally Posted by LHardy View Post
    Does West Seneca receive 2 million in services from Americorps of West Seneca?
    This is the heart of the issue. ML has said for years that Americorps doesn't cost the West Seneca tax payers anything, but if we are stuck with the debt, then i'd say it does.

    The main reason Americorps is at Burchfield Nature & Art Center is help pay off the bond the Town sponsored building it. If the Town Council forgives the debt, not only are we in affect refunding all of the rental money that Americorps has paid over the years, we would be surrendering enough tax payer dollars to pay for the Burchfield twice.

    If this is indeed the case, I would encourage tax payers to show up to Monday's Meeting and tell the Town Council this is unacceptable.

    I have also heard that Town Supervisor Piotrowski will not be there. Based on his record this past year, I cannot imagine he is in support of this. Is this Graber and Bove trying to pull one over on us all?

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    Quote Originally Posted by snowwhite View Post
    Americorp overspent their grants and WS fronted the monies, so I guess I should have said that the town is in debt because they lost over $2 million by giving it to Americorp, hoping they would pay it back. But it hasn't happened yet and I doubt it will.
    Another good point, where was the accountability this whole time? This has been going on since 2006. I don't know about you, but when I have spent all the money in my checking account the bank doesn't let me spend any more.

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    Size of Americorp

    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    How actual many kids are in the local program?

    And how many employees are being paid?

    There are several different grants within Americorp. There are approximately 12 or so members who report to the Burchfield every day. Then there are Youthbuild members who work in a building off Harlem Road which may be 10 or so. The majority of members are tutors and they work in the city schools tutoring. They do not come out to WS except for training or a meeting. They either fax or mail their time sheets into the office every other week. So if you are considering how many actually are here in the town, it is no more than a hand full. When ML says he oversees hundreds of members, he is talking about the ones in Mississippi and Louisanna and in the Buffalo schools. As far as staff goes, that has been reduced by the majority being forced out. There are probably 15 at the Burchfield and 2 for Youthbuild and I'm not sure how many are down south. so as you can see, WS gets a very small benefit from this program.

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    I heard a rumor that ML met with Councilman Graber for dinner on Friday night. Hammering out the final details of their deception? Enough is enough.

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    The deal is done!

    Quote Originally Posted by GhostofCharles View Post
    I heard a rumor that ML met with Councilman Graber for dinner on Friday night. Hammering out the final details of their deception? Enough is enough.
    Well if Graber and Lazzaro met, then you know its a done deal. Those two are joined at the hip and for some unknown reason Graber is ML's mouth piece. did you ever hear him at a Town Board meeting when he rattles off the statistics on what Americorp has accomplished. Its word for wors what ML says also. They are two peas in a pod. WS we need to speak up and stop this unbeliveable situation from happening. Everyone who canbe there, come tomorrow night and lets not let the Town Board pull one over on us!

  14. #14
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    I can't believe they would allow that much money of your TOWN money to go to that group. But everyone in WS lets it happen....

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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    I can't believe they would allow that much money of your TOWN money to go to that group. But everyone in WS lets it happen....

    Has let it happen... That doesn't mean we have to keep letting it happen. I personally have had enough of WS Town Council, Erie County and State Legislature politics dictating decisions that cripple this area. It is time we took a stand. It can no longer be about citizen's passive aggresive nature allowing these kinds of egregious edicts that cost us all. We need to take a stand and hold our elected officials (that we voted in) accountable.

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