In 2008 Greenburgh residents recycled 8.50% more than we did in 2007! This is good news. By diverting recyclables from garbage the town saved $9,028.25. We will work hard in 2009 to recycle even more!
The AARP Tax help program begins its 6th year at the Theodore Young Community Center. The program is scheduled every Friday and Saturday from 10-2 PM until April 18th. Ruby Rosenbaum, who leads this effort along with 4 other volunteers, prepared over 300 returns last year saving taxpayers over $50,000!
PAUL FEINER
23 comments:
Please make it easier for us to recycle by having pick up every week like we used to. How about a drop off dump too.
Is the garbage collection down a comperable amount? The town should make recycling easier.
Dear Mr. Feiner,
I am confused. It seems that all of your posts have to do with activities held at the TDYCC.
Doesn't the Town operate a multi-purpose center? How come none of these events originate from there?
hal
the library is also a division of the tdycc
so all library posts are from there too
Dear Hal,
We spend 4 million dollars a year on TDYCC. Paul needs to get as much mileage as he can out of it.
PS. Of course, Paul assumes that people living closest to the multi-purpose center have no need to free tax preparation services. Didn't you know? The rest of TOV is super wealthy!
Dear anonymous: If seniors want the free tax service and cannot get to the TDYCC they should contact the supervisor and ask him to arrange for the service. He probably will accomodate.
Maybe those living near the multipurpose center are really the lucky ones.
Because here's another example where a resume is needed and likely neither Feiner nor FOIL will
have one available.
Are Ruby Rosenbaum and volunteers LEGALLY dispensing tax advice?
Is Ruby Rosenbaum a CPA, an attorney, someone currently registered with the IRS as a tax advisor?
Oops!
Let's pretend that you walk into the TDYCC and meet with your new tax advisor. Please bring all your records and papers with you so as to save time.
Then sit down and give this stranger your name, address, social security number; hand Ruby & Co. your bank account information, your credit cards, your mortgage schedule, your stock portfolio (ok, Xposure just started) and practically everything anyone would want to know about you for the purpose of using this information (for whatever) or selling it to a third party. Giving it to them for free? Are you protected as their client; are they "employed" as your tax advisor and what "consideration" established this relationship?
You don't have to be a financial guru to know that there is no free lunch. Even at the TDYCC.
And, what does Mr. Feiner mean when he says that this effort for over 300 returns saved taxpayers over $50,000. Let's say $150 per tax return. Had the taxpayer gone elsewhere, might they have saved even more?
Now I'm ready for the criticism from anonymous who want to belittle the idea of knowing some background about the person when the Town is promoting their services on Town property.
This is the same script that the Supervisor is following with Mr. Cannon. Buyer beware except that the people who need these services the most are often the least likely to understand the concept.
Like the popular evergreen, "As advertised on TV" in which the phrase says NOTHING about value, quality and reliability, so we have in Greenburgh the election year mantra, "Available at the TDYCC".
I repeat my request to the Supervisor and thru him as their Agent:
where are the resumes of Donald Cannon and now, Ruby Rosenbaum and volunteers.
Maybe we should get our financial advice from the kids working the Town Pool.
And perhaps the Stones had it right: "Goodbye Ruby Rosenbaum, who could hang a name on you".
Well Paul you screwed us again by following Regular's advice which was no garbage pickup on Monday.
What do the sanitation guys do when there is no pick up due to snow? Why don they go out and shovel the public walkways and buildings?
What do the sanitation guys do when there is no pick up due to snow? Why don they go out and shovel the public walkways and buildings?
Hal is Wrong!
Hal your creative energies are at best mis-directed when you conger up criticism over a Tax Help Program lead by volunteers.If you did your homework, you would be aware that the Volunteers are screened by both the Town and AARP
When volunteers are asked to defend their community service, there is something wrong with your thinking.
Instead of a apology, why not volunteer your time and service by calling either Paul 993-1540 or the TDY C/C at 989-3600?
SNAP OUT OF IT.
TO 2:17PM ..Hal
The MP Center has few programs to offer that's why.
Somebody answer just three questions;
When the Library operated there for nearly two years, what programs were displaced? None!
When the program moved from the tiny basement of Red Lobster to the Big New Building, what new programs were added? None!
How many new partcipants have joined the MP Center since leaving the basement? None!
Those fortunate enough to utilize tax specialists who charge for their services will probably be aware that these "preparers" or advisors are asked to sign the tax return along with the taxpayer.
Implicit in the hiring of them is that if the advice and work they do is faulty (assuming that the correct information has been supplied by the taxpayer) and the taxpayer is subject to additional taxes and fines, that the preparer is responsible for these costs.
Do the volunteers provide such an assurance? Is there any second opinion as to whether even more money could be saved?
Now what are the procedures by which the Town and the AARP screens these volunteers? What are the criteria to turn tax helpers loose upon the public?
The Town screens? Who does the screening for the Town and what is the ability of the screener?
How does the Town and the AARP know for certain that the confidential information, provided by those seeking free tax help, remains confidential.
The point is not to debunk volunteers as a class but to let those who rely on them to understand their qualifications and what risk, if any, may be part of "free".
And, myself and several other residents, provide service to the Town, its residents and its institutions -- the only difference being that our volunteerism is done on our own time and at our own expense and from outside the system, not from membership on committees.
I live on Sprain Valley rd.
Today we put out the recyclables to be picked up together with the garbage from Monday. Guess what we still have the full pails curbside.
Yet one home in the middle of the road put their garbage out Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday together with the recycled stuff and they were picked up.
Their garbage is picked up four times a week.
Who do they know to have this special service.
If you had a good supervisor working he would have caught these goings on some years ago.
Since we have to abide by the new town laws everyone on this road should do the same.
No special services for one person and not the others.
Another thing pails should be with covers.
You can check our road and you will see how many full pails still have not been emptied.
We should dump all of our garbage at the entrance to the DPW yard...
The town should instruct their drivers as the do's and don'ts of picking up garbage.
Some sanitation workers have friends that they cater too and this has got to stop.
We are all tax payers striving for the best services that we can get,but taking garbage from one household on a street and not the others has really got to stop.
This practice has got to stop now and the driver of the complaint up above this one should receive a warning that people are checking on what goes on .
We will be watching other things that we feel are not being done correctly and we will make it known to whomever is in charge.
Yes that is a good idea to dump the garbage at the DPW garage but make sure that there is nothing within the garbage to incriminate you.
IS today a recycling day or a garbage pickup day.
Were your drivers instructed I hope so.
I have taken many pictures this morning as to what is being left for pickup.
I do hope that when I get back from work the unpickables are still there.
Selective garbage pick-ups are happening in my neighborhood also. My neighbor's garbage is never placed curbside, yet it is being picked up. I have on occasion failed to leave my garbage curbside and the collectors have not picked up my garbage and yet on the same day have picked up my neighbors garbage which also had not been placed at the curb. There is preferential treatment. Many people throughout the town are not recycling. It is my understanding if recycling is not done, the garbage would be left. In the interest of saving our planet, there needs to be some serious enforcement to encourage recycling. Paul Feiner, how about speding some time in addressing this problem. Get in your car; drive around the town and see what's going on and DO something about it.
Selective garbage pick-ups are happening in my neighborhood also. My neighbor's garbage is never placed curbside, yet it is being picked up. I have on occasion failed to leave my garbage curbside and the collectors have not picked up my garbage and yet on the same day have picked up my neighbors garbage which also had not been placed at the curb. There is preferential treatment. Many people throughout the town are not recycling. It is my understanding if recycling is not done, the garbage would be left. In the interest of saving our planet, there needs to be some serious enforcement to encourage recycling. Paul Feiner, how about spending some time in addressing this problem. Get in your car; drive around the town and see what's going on and DO something about it.
Dear Mr Feiner -
Crowing about saving $9,028.25 is absurd. Do you know what percent that is of the total Town Budget?
Here's a little math lesson to help you remember. To obtain the percentage, divide 9 by 76,000 - the result is an astounding small number, roughly 12 onethousandths of one percent. The time and energy the average citizen put into separating her/his garbage, and then storing it until recycling day is worth more.
Think about this - if there are roughly 45,000 people in TOV, the average savings per person is about 20 cents for the year.
Please find something more meaningful to brag about.
Financially ignorant supervisors cost citizens money.
Feiner never relayed the comment on the blog to the faithful DPW commissioner because the same dump truck driver picked up everything that was put curbside.
Was today designated as garbage so why did he pick up what was to be left behind.
I guess this driver has a problem to follow instructions or he is buddy buddy with the homeowner on the road mentioned in the beginning of this blog.
Shame on you Feiner for not conveying the message to the right person in charge,but then again why should he care he no longer works full time.
Special services should not be allowed when the rest of this road abides by the rules.
If your garbage man refuses to listen change his route.
Maybe this is what is needed to change dump trucks driver arround to make us feel that we are all treated equally.
The answer is rotate the drivers. Enough is enough.
Yes I do agree the drivers of the large dump trucks should be switched arround this way no favors are granted to friends or friends of friends.
The extras on the trucks are not the ones that stop at certain homes it's the drivers.
If you want things to run a little bit more honest this should be done. The problem is that there is not one supervisor on the job that will check on his men.
We want things to be done equally with every household in this town so it is up to you to issue the call that drivers should be changed.
Another thing with the curbside pickups the roadways are a disgrace.
Many home owners work so the pails stay out all over the place until they return from work.
Paul how about you getting off of your ass and start canvassing the neighborhoods to see what is out here.
The more evil you do to the owners the more it affects the neighborhoods .
You have cut police services=====
More burglaries.
You have initiated curbside pickups only=======
Dirty roadways.
What's next Paul?
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