Archive for August 20th, 2006
Some state lawmakers have prodded the city control board to lift the wage freeze - and soon.
But board Chairman Brian J. Lipke made it clear in a recent letter to lawmakers that the wage freeze will stay in place until unions agree to cut costs.
Lipke also stressed that the state must play a key role in restoring fiscal stability to the city. Officials in Albany must either make sweeping changes in state laws to allow for “meaningful union negotiations,” or give Buffalo increasing pots of aid each year, he said .
Although at first glance it may look like the position of the Control Board is unfair, someone must stand up to the unfair bargaining power given the public sector unions by the Taylor Law and the Triborough Amendment. Our elected officials fearing a voter backlash from the union members refuse to implement any meaningful changes.
Assembly Majority Leader Paul A. Tokasz of Cheektowaga, and Buffalo Democrats Mark J.F. Schroeder, Sam Hoyt and Crystal D. Peoples said they recognize the city faces fiscal challenges.
“However, we believe that city workers have contributed their fair share to your effort of achieving long term stability and that it is time you recognized their effort,” they wrote. The lawmakers acknowledged that there’s still work to do to on the city’s fiscal front.
If you are not a public service worker, take a good look at the names behind that last statement. It is time for them to seek a new career, they are not serving the public interest!
Link to Buffalo News - Control board won’t thaw on wage freeze
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Did you hear that nearly every breakfast cereal is now multigrain and low fat? Yippee! Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes—they’re all healthy now.
Even the new property tax tastes great and is less filling. The “New & Improved” property tax was passed in 1997 by Gov. Pataki and the state Legislature. It was called STAR for State TAxpayer Relief. Just like making Lucky Charms with whole grain, STAR is supposed to make the property tax better.
The problem with property taxes is that they are too high, right? “Fine,” say elected officials. “We’ll make ’em lower.” Here’s how STAR works: Suppose you own a house in Penfield that is worth $150,000. Under STAR, you can apply to have $30,000 of that value ignored for school tax purposes—one-fifth of your school tax bill—and the kind, generous state of New York will send the Penfield Central School District a check for the difference. What’s not to like? You save 20 percent of your school property tax but Penfield schools get the money anyway. And if you’re a senior, you save even more. . . .
Where do you suppose the kind, generous state of New York gets the money to send STAR checks to school districts? From state taxpayers, of course, many of whom are also homeowners. One tax goes down—but another goes up (like those fat-reduced products that now have twice the sugar).
Moreover, with some of the taxpayer anger siphoned off by STAR, it appears that school districts actually have raised taxes more than they would have otherwise, offsetting about one-third of the savings (this according to a study from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University).
So not only has our total tax burden not gone down—STAR has actually made it go up. That’s particularly true for owners of apartment buildings and commercial and industrial properties, since those properties aren’t eligible for STAR.
The rest is here.
