Reply With QuoteThanks Lee The OT alone is a bit much and paid meals are the zinger.
For the past decade I was one of but a few residents who had appeared at public hearings to comment on budget proposals. The result was analogous to and as useless as yelling to someone to put their seat belts on when they were out of hearing distance. Nothing changed.
Well budget time is near and Supervisor Fudoli you promised in your campaign to be fiscally responsible. You will already be $200,000 in the hole due to the 10% increase in the mandated New York State Retirement contribution the town pays toward town employee pensions.
As one who understands the costs associated with living in the town, I have never questioned or challenged the salary structure of town employees. I may have had said they were fair or even generous compared to those in the private sector. What I have and remain to question and challenge are the following and have been put together for your consideration: (especially at a time when union negotiations are taking place)
• Town employees contribute nothing to their health care plans while those in the private sector are paying outrageous premiums for lesser coverage; and certainly without dental and vision coverage as well. If all town employees contributed but 10% toward their premium cost that would save the town $300,000+. The average contribution in the private sector is 25%; and some are paying as much as 50%.
I have heard you pledge during your campaign to work to get town employees to contribute to their health plan. Hopefully your fellow board members have the political will to follow your example.
• Longevity pay – Why are workers getting a stipend based only on years of service, where merit means nothing. Tenure does not necessarily make an employee more committed and/or qualified. The town spent $190,000 for this stipend last year.
• Why are police officers allowed to drive each other to and from work? Why are they then given a $1,000 stipend in lieu of not putting in for overtime should a call come in and they have to accompany the officer on duty to the call?
• Town employees get 18 days a year in sick time off. They are allowed to bank those days to a total of 300 days. That part may be understandable to have those days in time of emergency need. But why we allow them to be accumulated and sold back at a reduced rate of somewhere around 60% is beyond logic and costs town taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• School Resource Officer (SRO) – The Lancaster Central School District stopped contributing ½ the compensation for a SRO in the Middle School for budgetary and need reasons. The town now picks up the full cost for still providing such service. As I have asked the school board on several occasions for a benchmark report on whether the program has merit and have received no such report, I have to ask are we getting any bang for the buck for this expenditure?
• Police staffing – Are we right sized for a community of our size or can we reduce out force to 48 sworn officers as you recently suggested. We are sure getting top heavy with Lieutenants and Detectives. Overtime pay in 2012 (patrol/dispatch/Detectives/Events) totaled $284,000. Patrol and Detectives make up $235,000 of the $284,000. Why so much overtime if according to Chief Gil we are right sized at 49 sworn officers?
• I support the proposed Highway Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). However, when the plan is instated will there be cost savings regarding less staffing needs and overtime?
Speaking of highway department overtime, $100,000 was budgeted for snow removal overtime and $119,000 was budgeted for overtime for the personal services line item. Are they separate or is the snow removal number included in the $119,000. It is also my understanding that Lancaster snow plow are a two man operation. Other municipalities have gone to one-man operated plows. Has Lancaster investigated this change and its viability?
• Why are we now paying for meals when highway workers are on overtime and earning premium time wages?
Previous budgets
The total 2012 budget increased spending by only 1.71% and increased the levy by only 0.71%. The spending would have been higher had the town negotiated union contracts and been as generous in their agreement as in the past.
From the years 2005 to 2011, total budget spending had increased by $6.6 million dollars; 28.6% over six years, an annual average of 4.76%.
It should be noted Mr. Supervisor that the Ad Valorem (town portion) of the budget spending increased from $17.45 million to $22.68 million, by $5.23 million, a 30% increase; an annual increase of 5%. The police fund increase added significantly to this, increasing by 37% - from $6.62 million in 2005 to $9.07 million in 2011. In fact, police fund spending increased by another 5.1% in the 2012 budget despite no union contract settlement and where in the town portion of the budget spending increased by only 2.2%.
The Special Districts portion of the budget increased from $5.64 million to $7.01 million, an increase of $1.37 million, 22.8%; an annual increase of 3.8%.
The tax levy was lowered last year because of the use of $963,735 of fund balance reserves and another $180,000 of Debt Service reserves - $1.14 million in total. Again, the 2012 budget did not include any increases that would have been had through union contract negotiation settlement. No town employee received any wage increase last year.
Just some points to consider Mr. Supervisor as you endeavor to put out a fiscally responsible budget.
Copies will be sent to the Supervisor and all board members and included in the communications.
Thanks Lee The OT alone is a bit much and paid meals are the zinger.
I thank you for the comment. I encourage others to comment as this is the first time in a decade that we have a mixed political board - though the Supervisor is out numbered 4-1. It is time to hold Fudoli and the remaining board members accountable for a fiscally responsible budget.Originally Posted by grandma5
Regardless of outcome we will have the opportunity to question their vote and reason for how they voted. We as stakeholders have the right to change the board of directors should they not act in the best interest of the community.
BTW - Would someone explain why police get briefing pay. Is this not included in their eight hour shift's duty?
Lee, be careful about these negotiation issues - does the Supervisor own any other buildings that could be raided ??????
#Dems play musical chairs + patronage and nepotism = entitlement !
I fail to see what one has to do with the other 4248.Lee, be careful about these negotiation issues - does the Supervisor own any other buildings that could be raided ??????
As for the negotiations going on, I have no idea what is being discussed. The isues I brought forward are issues I have been bringing up for years. Too many residents have no idea what the costs for benefits are, the cost for stipends, the perks, etc.
Times are tough. People are struggling. They have a right to knw what they are paying taxes for. The responsibility for putting together a good budget for public review lies with the four council members as well as the budget director who proposes it.
Screw the politics. I want to see the playing fields leveled. People no longer have that spare change lying around where they don't take interest on how their money is being spent. And please, no more of the union lament, "We pay taxes too, you know."
At last night’s town board work session, Supervisor Fudoli informed the council members that the budget he has put together will be going to them for review and comment by October 1, 2012.
The department heads and council members will have an opportunity to make any changes until October 15th. The budget changes will have to be made by October 15th as that is the day the town board will set a public hearing on the budget for the November 5th Town Board meeting.
In today's Buffalo News, it was stated that the anticipated $200,000 increase in pension costs will likely be $300,000+ instead. This figure does not include the police pensions. Fudoli had indicated there was a substantial increase in borrowing costs due to the bonding of the police facility construction that he would try to offset with the sale proceeds of the "White elephant"
Wonder what the Dems are going to bring to the table
http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs...120919096/1003
Last edited by gorja; September 18th, 2012 at 07:05 AM. Reason: Add link
Georgia L Schlager
Should be interesting what the dem's bring to the table.
I tried to pull up the budget (2013) not available yet.
If Fudoli can pull this off, then he is a hero.
Amatura's equipment wish list-
I am sure all of the Council Members will have a problem with the budget and not vote YES with Dino. They should keep in mind, however, residents will vote based on their vote next election. Among other things like "paid meals" it is high time town employees paid towards their health care.
It's unbelievable that an employee while earning premium time receives a free meal. I pay 24.7% on a single health care plan and have to pay to support 100% of the premiums of the town employees HCP. That sucks.
Georgia L Schlager
Entitlements, but the meal plan is over the top.
I wish I got a meal plan when I work overtime. Now
they get overtime pay and a meal--great deal.....
What could the "Controlling Dem Members" bring to the table(Budget Ideas)
The Dem's have already showed their hand in what they suggest for Lancaster's budget - MORE -
The Highway Department wants over $3MILLION DOLLARS - thats part of what they are bringing to the table!
They are already warning Lancaster Employees that Supervisor Fudoli wants to cut their pay by making them pay some of their own benefits costs - they also spread a false rumor about him going after emergency management (You know the guys in the Depew Library - the ones who are spending $300,000.tax dollars for air conditioning - the people who used to be "Volunteers" who now collect tax funded pay checks, tax funded vehicles and such)
The Highway request will turn out to be a major "Political Football" - the request for a "Baseball building" at Westwood will also be used - they will spin it either way - if the Supervisor helps them get what they want - then they twist and say he has raised taxes and spent millions of tax dollars -
If he fights any part of the upcoming Town Employees contract requests or forces employee's to share the burden of the cost to tax paying home owners for Employees ever increasing benefits - then he's anti labor/union
- If he doesn't support the baseball building, he then becomes anti baseball and anti youth recreation.
Ever since Councilman Stempniak declared war on Supervisor Fudoli - every move they make is aimed at embarrassing him now and setting him up for future campaign fodder. - Thats what the Controlling Town Board Council Members will bring to the table.
#Dems play musical chairs + patronage and nepotism = entitlement !
[QUOTE=4248;1004314]
The proposed Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is long overdue and I have found no one who opposes the plan. The plan, if and when approved, will have nothing to do with this year’s budget and is in the best interest of the community – unlike the $15 million police /courts building project that wasted millions of dollars and the $3.3 million spent on the reconstruction/construction of the Town Hall Building.The Dem's have already showed their hand in what they suggest for Lancaster's budget - MORE -
The Highway Department wants over $3MILLION DOLLARS - thats part of what they are bringing to the table!
How can one look at the age of the vehicles and the repair costs, the bridge/culvert repair/replacement projects and the long-term road paving project plans and not say the plan is in the best interests of the community. The infrastructure needs have been ignored for years in a town that has grown significantly and where for a long time developers were building inferior roads and in wetlands/soils not conducive for such use.
This is spot on.They are already warning Lancaster Employees that Supervisor Fudoli wants to cut their pay by making them pay some of their own benefits costs - they also spread a false rumor about him going after emergency management (You know the guys in the Depew Library - the ones who are spending $300,000.tax dollars for air conditioning - the people who used to be "Volunteers" who now collect tax funded pay checks, tax funded vehicles and such)
The highway request should not become a political football. Although the four council members and the previous supervisor sat on their hands in moving on this project for the last three years, it appears they and Fudoli are on the same page and ready to move this along.The Highway request will turn out to be a major "Political Football" - the request for a "Baseball building" at Westwood will also be used - they will spin it either way - if the Supervisor helps them get what they want - then they twist and say he has raised taxes and spent millions of tax dollars –
If he sticks to his promise to get the unions to contribute 10% of their health care premium, he will not be considered anti-union to the greater general public for trying to level the playing field. The town (taxpayer) is going to have to contribute another $300,000 to the town employee retirement system. Enough is enough.If he fights any part of the upcoming Town Employees contract requests or forces employee's to share the burden of the cost to tax paying home owners for Employees ever increasing benefits - then he's anti labor/union
The Westwood baseball facility project is a good one for the community if indeed it gets private funds to build it and maintain it in every way. I am still uncomfortable about the liability issue.- If he doesn't support the baseball building, he then becomes anti baseball and anti youth recreation.
That personal attack crap that is appearing in the media is just that, crap - and distraction. Fudoli is indeed a threat to the status quo. So far, they can’t attack his nine month record in office so the only thing left for them is to try to discredit him.Ever since Councilman Stempniak declared war on Supervisor Fudoli - every move they make is aimed at embarrassing him now and setting him up for future campaign fodder.
It should be all about good governance and what’s best for the community.
Ah, the budget should be the tell all regarding the direction the town will be taking in bringing fiscal responsibility at a time when the public is strugglingto pay their way and is being asked to pay for town labor costs for health care and pension costs that are skyrocketing; for benefits they themselves don't receive.
Lee, won't there be borrowing costs associated with the Highway dept's CIP in the 2013 budget if approved this year?Originally posted by Lee Chowaniec:
The proposed Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is long overdue and I have found no one who opposes the plan. The plan, if and when approved, will have nothing to do with this year’s budget and is in the best interest of the community – unlike the $15 million police /courts building project that wasted millions of dollars and the $3.3 million spent on the reconstruction/construction of the Town Hall Building.
Georgia L Schlager
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