Before the end of the month I have to submit a proposed budget for 2007 to the Town Board. The Town Board has till the end of December to approve the final document.
There are some challenges we face: How do we contain costs and maintain the high quality of life and services that people enjoy? We must keep Greenburgh affordable so you and your neighbors can continue to reside here. I invite you to look at last years budget on line (www.greenburghny.com) and to provide me with your thoughts. I'd also be willing to meet with neighborhood groups in the coming days/weeks to discuss various budget options.
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31 comments:
Better make sure you review your proposed budget with Supervisor Bernstein first.
I would say, try to make certain that the budget meets all New York state legal requiements -
but of course without Mr. Bernstein you wouldnt have to worry aobut that
Dear Demleader,
So let me get this right. The courts agreed with Bernstein that unincorporated Greenburgh was overcharged. So it is his fault that Feiner keeps fighting him in court??? Seems warped to me. Feiner should do the right thing and STOP CHARGING UNINCORPORATED GREENBURGH FOR TOWNWIDE PROGRAMS.
all of the villages have professional management. its time for greenburgh to have the same. slash the supervisor's budget and use the savings to hire a professional town manager. the current system is broken. we have to stop government by press release. the paul feiner era has run its course especially as he now defends lavish boat cruises for residents of other towns. we need competence not gimmickry.
Dear Independent Thinker,
This is a great idea. Can we put this on a referendum?
Paul Feiner gets re-elected becuase he returns phone calls (wow -- what an accomplishment) and he panders to special interest groups -- the villages with the lopsided ways he charges out the parks and recreation, the valhalla SD, etc.
hopefully this will change
Let's just get rid of this silly, old-fashioned villages/town structure. It's such a waste of time and money for us to be operating in this manner.
The villages don't want to be part of Greenburgh anyway, so let Hastings and Dobbs become one city, Irvington and Tarrytown another city, Ardsley and Elmsford and the unincorporated stretch between another city. The Greenville-Edgemont area, if it wants, can either become its own city or a village within Scarsdale.
What's left would be a nice, manageable city with a lot less drama and a lot more efficiency - The City of Greenburgh, NY.
Implementing such a plan would be a valuable budget item.
My name for the purposes of this blog is anonymous. I'm e mailing a response to anonymous. We're not the same person!
You mention in your recent post that Paul Feiner panders to the villages when it comes to budget matters. My understanding of state law is that Paul Feiner can't take any action on the budget unilaterally. He needs the support of 3 members of the Town Board. He is one vote. The last budget was approved unanimously - Diana Juettner, Steve Bass, Eddie Mae Barnes also voted for the budget along with former Councilwoman Timmy Weinberg. The council and Feiner have disagreed on some issues. They have agreed on budget allocations. Didn't the entire Town Council vote to appeal the Bernstein lawsuit?
Back to budget suggestions
I understand the Town owns some unused land in Ardsley. This land should be put up for bids and sold to the highest bidder. Any funds used should be put to capital items.
Dear Edgemont Voter,
The problem is that the people in unincorporated G'burgh, which pay 97% of the town's property taxes, don't have the right to vote Feiner out of office because the majority of the town's population is in the incorporated villages. However, in Edgemont, which has only 8% of the vote townwide, we're making progress in throwing Feiner out. In the last Dem primary, Edgemont voters provided a 200-vote margin to Feiner's challenger Bill Greenawalt -- the best margin against Feiner than in any other part of G'burgh -- and Greenawalt came awfully close to beating him. As Edgemont goes, so goes the rest of the Town? Perhaps. As word of Feiner's continued failings gets around town -- hopefully the villages will soon figure out how much money Feiner is costing them on the Valhalla deal -- maybe they might even read todays editorial in the Journal News -- maybe voters everywhere willl see what Edgemont has already seen, and vote him out. All we need now is a candidate.
Greenburgh needs to focus on being Greenburgh, and set the villages free. I'd feel bad, though, for Edgemont, which would still be stuck with Greenburgh.
oh not too worry, if the villages leave we can sell taxter ridge
oh and we can stop letting ardsley park at hartdslae
So the villages can leave -- they just dont want have to pay up on the way out -- inlcuding their share of the deferred maintenance on the courts
and if they leave, would they please take their buddy Mr. Fiener with them
Oh and if the Villages left (even if they didnt take Elmsford with them) we could have a substantial scale down of the Young Center (becuase even if just Ardsley/Hastings/Dobbs Ferry/Irvington left the unincorproated area could outvote Elmsford and Tarrytown). Which means all these boondoggle projects could be shut down. Heah -- since Ardsley is now Elmsford's best friend, maybe the Ardsley library could start a bunch of new programs for their new friends. Of course, Elsmford will not be expecting to bear the cost, but you know that.
The Town Board is working with village officials on an affordable housing proposal for volunteer firefighters, ambulance corp members, police. That is the proposal under review for the waterwheel property in ardsley.
Dear Supervisor Feiner,
Please excuse me for interrupting the chit chat and asking some questions on this blog page about the proposed 2007 budget.
How much money is being proposed to implement the new sidewalk policy submitted by the Town Council?
Given that the Library should be spending substantially less on operating expenses next year because:
1) it will be occupying free space at town hall and the multipurpose center and rent, heat, light and power will be absorbed by other department
2) presumably less money will spent on purchasing books, materials, media, furniture, office equipment
3) the Library Director has resigned
4) a hiring freeze should already be in effect
What is the difference in dollars between the 2006 budget and what has been submitted as their 2007 budget?
Also, it been mentioned that the Library intends to put into dead storage some 70-80% of their collections because they have inadequate space at the Plan B
locations. If this is so, is the rent for this storage space an allowable item which can be charged to the bonding. If not, where will this item be expensed?
Dear Anonymous regarding Villages leavng the Town,
As Edgemont, along with the rest of Unincorporated Greenburgh, pays virtually all of the Greenburgh taxes, the Villages leaving costs us nothing. What it would leave us with is the aiblity to elect a supervisor to represent the unincorporated area and not spend our money to benefit the Villages.
It is highly inappropriate to allow Ardsley use of that land given the possiblity of succession. They will take the land, use it for their own employees, and leave.
the waterwheel property should become affordable housing for volunteer firefighters. This is not about Ardsley. It's about recruiting volunteers. Want an all paid fire dept. The Ardsley volunteer fire dept serves unincorporated Greenburgh as well as the villages.
Why can't all of us work together?
Dear Villagers,
The only one who benefits from the dysfunctional relationahsip is Paul Feiner, whose job depends upon it. If you suceed, we can gut the bloated costs that Paul stuck us with in his buying your votes.
From Unincorporated Greenburgh
Dear Anon at 9:29,
You undercut us on library, help re-elect Feiner when he charges unincorporated greenburgh for town-wide parks and you want us to help your community.
You have a strange sense of community.
and fyi
Most of Edgemont uses Greenville Fire, with paid firefighters.
Edgemont has a paid fire dept. Ardsley is all volunteer. If there is ever a major fire in Edgemont Edgemont will need mutual assistance. Local fire depts from around the area come to the help of each other. A strong fire dept in Ardsley works for all of us. A strong fire dept in Ardsley could help save lives in Edgemont. It's possible that the firefighters who work in Edgemont might be offered an affordable unit at the waterwheel.
WOuldn't it be better if we worked together so that Edgemont and Ardsley BOTH would benefit from an affordable housing complex. Why keep fighting each other?
feiner lost the last election in ardsley.
Dear Anon
My apologies on behalf of eveyone for saying that Ardsley voted for Feiner. If that was untrue, it was a mistake.
apology accepted.
Greenburgh Nutrition Program
The details of the Greenburgh Nutrition Program are presented on pages 87 through 90 of the tentative Town 2007 budget. Some interesting deductions are as follows:
1. Town wide the taxpayers will contribute $223,166 towards this program.
2. The total number of projected meals is 132,500 (page 87). Thus the taxpayers are contributing / subsidizing this program to the extent of $1.684 per meal ( $223,166 / 132,500).
3. Of the 132,500 meals projected to be provided, only 61,500 will go to residents of the Town. Thus 71,000 (132,500 minus 61,500) or 53.5% of the total will go to non-Town individuals.
4. Therefore I conclude that the taxpayers of the Town of Greenburgh are contributing approximately $119,583 ($1.684 X 71,000) to outsiders.
While I have a good social heart, shouldn’t a program that does so much for individuals outside of the Town be handled by say the County? Over 10 years like this (and this is consistent with the prior year), we are talking about more than $1,000,000 “donated” by the taxpayers of Greenburgh to other municipalities. We are very kind in Greenburgh.
Greenburgh Nutrition Program
The details of the Greenburgh Nutrition Program are presented on pages 87 through 90 of the tentative Town 2007 budget. Some interesting deductions are as follows:
1. Town wide the taxpayers will contribute $223,166 towards this program.
2. The total number of projected meals is 132,500 (page 87). Thus the taxpayers are contributing / subsidizing this program to the extent of $1.684 per meal ( $223,166 / 132,500).
3. Of the 132,500 meals projected to be provided, only 61,500 will go to residents of the Town. Thus 71,000 (132,500 minus 61,500) or 53.5% of the total will go to non-Town individuals.
4. Therefore I conclude that the taxpayers of the Town of Greenburgh are contributing approximately $119,583 ($1.684 X 71,000) to outsiders.
While I have a good social heart, shouldn’t a program that does so much for individuals outside of the Town be handled by say the County? Over 10 years like this (and this is consistent with the prior year), we are talking about more than $1,000,000 “donated” by the taxpayers of Greenburgh to other municipalities. We are very kind in Greenburgh.
Greenburgh Nutrition Program
The details of the Greenburgh Nutrition Program are presented on pages 87 through 90 of the tentative Town 2007 budget. Some interesting deductions are as follows:
1. Town wide the taxpayers will contribute $223,166 towards this program.
2. The total number of projected meals is 132,500 (page 87). Thus the taxpayers are contributing / subsidizing this program to the extent of $1.684 per meal ( $223,166 / 132,500).
3. Of the 132,500 meals projected to be provided, only 61,500 will go to residents of the Town. Thus 71,000 (132,500 minus 61,500) or 53.5% of the total will go to non-Town individuals.
4. Therefore I conclude that the taxpayers of the Town of Greenburgh are contributing approximately $119,583 ($1.684 X 71,000) to outsiders.
While I have a good social heart, shouldn’t a program that does so much for individuals outside of the Town be handled by say the County? Over 10 years like this (and this is consistent with the prior year), we are talking about more than $1,000,000 “donated” by the taxpayers of Greenburgh to other municipalities. We are very kind in Greenburgh.
Greenburgh Nutrition Program
The details of the Greenburgh Nutrition Program are presented on pages 87 through 90 of the tentative Town 2007 budget. Some interesting deductions are as follows:
1. Town wide the taxpayers will contribute $223,166 towards this program.
2. The total number of projected meals is 132,500 (page 87). Thus the taxpayers are contributing / subsidizing this program to the extent of $1.684 per meal ( $223,166 / 132,500).
3. Of the 132,500 meals projected to be provided, only 61,500 will go to residents of the Town. Thus 71,000 (132,500 minus 61,500) or 53.5% of the total will go to non-Town individuals.
4. Therefore I conclude that the taxpayers of the Town of Greenburgh are contributing approximately $119,583 ($1.684 X 71,000) to outsiders.
While I have a good social heart, shouldn’t a program that does so much for individuals outside of the Town be handled by say the County? Over 10 years like this (and this is consistent with the prior year), we are talking about more than $1,000,000 “donated” by the taxpayers of Greenburgh to other municipalities. We are very kind in Greenburgh.
Greenburgh Nutrition Program
The details of the Greenburgh Nutrition Program are presented on pages 87 through 90 of the tentative Town 2007 budget. Some interesting deductions are as follows:
1. Town wide the taxpayers will contribute $223,166 towards this program.
2. The total number of projected meals is 132,500 (page 87). Thus the taxpayers are contributing / subsidizing this program to the extent of $1.684 per meal ( $223,166 / 132,500).
3. Of the 132,500 meals projected to be provided, only 61,500 will go to residents of the Town. Thus 71,000 (132,500 minus 61,500) or 53.5% of the total will go to non-Town individuals.
4. Therefore I conclude that the taxpayers of the Town of Greenburgh are contributing approximately $119,583 ($1.684 X 71,000) to outsiders.
While I have a good social heart, shouldn’t a program that does so much for individuals outside of the Town be handled by say the County? Over 10 years like this (and this is consistent with the prior year), we are talking about more than $1,000,000 “donated” by the taxpayers of Greenburgh to other municipalities. We are very kind in Greenburgh.
Greenburgh Nutrition Program
The details of the Greenburgh Nutrition Program are presented on pages 87 through 90 of the tentative Town 2007 budget. Some interesting deductions are as follows:
1. Town wide the taxpayers will contribute $223,166 towards this program.
2. The total number of projected meals is 132,500 (page 87). Thus the taxpayers are contributing / subsidizing this program to the extent of $1.684 per meal ( $223,166 / 132,500).
3. Of the 132,500 meals projected to be provided, only 61,500 will go to residents of the Town. Thus 71,000 (132,500 minus 61,500) or 53.5% of the total will go to non-Town individuals.
4. Therefore I conclude that the taxpayers of the Town of Greenburgh are contributing approximately $119,583 ($1.684 X 71,000) to outsiders.
While I have a good social heart, shouldn’t a program that does so much for individuals outside of the Town be handled by say the County? Over 10 years like this (and this is consistent with the prior year), we are talking about more than $1,000,000 “donated” by the taxpayers of Greenburgh to other municipalities. We are very kind in Greenburgh.
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