Saturday, February 20, 2010
2/20/2010 Fishkill Town Board Meeting
Beacon Ambulance was honored with a award for it's upgrade in service. Wal-Mart suffered 1.7 M in loses and loses dropped after the PBA began security there. Royal Carting was awarded the Trash and Cleanup bid for 2010-2012. This was after Waste Management, who submitted a lower bid was disqualified. Please note that the current elected officials recieve substantial campaign contributions from Royal. It also appears that crime is up in Toll brothers as a TV was stolen out of the Community room there along with other petit crimes. A Republican Committee member was named to the Board of Assessments. Of particular note, is that her name was not the same as on the agenda. Audrey Scott was named as Planning Board Attorney. There were also several Budget transfers and for the first time, the board did not disclose the dollar amounts.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Assessors Letter to Editor
Assessor plan raises questions
In the article ("Four towns seek combined tax unit," Feb. 7), which is a story of how, Beekman, Fishkill, LaGrange and Wappinger are going to combine assessor services, it mentioned that the towns are going to save taxpayer money. Then it notes that $440,000 in state grant money would be used. If New York state has an $8 billion deficit, how will this save money? This is what LaGrange Supervisor Jon Wagner stated, "Everybody wants us to cut the budget. ... Everybody wants us to save money. This is a viable way of doing it." Who is he kidding? He, according to this paper, doubled his salary, while raising taxes 12.08 percent in LaGrange! Here are a few follow-up questions that I would like to get answered:
1. Does it really cost $440,000 to set up some office space to do this?
2. Which towns' general fund will this grant money go into?
3. How many people will be fired, and the cost savings of those fired?
4. How many people will be hired, and the cost?
5. Will Fishkill continue its four-day work week or go to five days to accommodate the residents of three other towns?
I already attempted to ask those questions at the two combined board meetings in Fishkill. But unfortunately, Fishkill Supervisor Joan Pagones first called the meeting "historic" and then threw out the press and the citizens of Fishkill, under the guise of executive session. I hope the Poughkeepsie Journal can do better.
Ozzy Albra
Fishkill
In the article ("Four towns seek combined tax unit," Feb. 7), which is a story of how, Beekman, Fishkill, LaGrange and Wappinger are going to combine assessor services, it mentioned that the towns are going to save taxpayer money. Then it notes that $440,000 in state grant money would be used. If New York state has an $8 billion deficit, how will this save money? This is what LaGrange Supervisor Jon Wagner stated, "Everybody wants us to cut the budget. ... Everybody wants us to save money. This is a viable way of doing it." Who is he kidding? He, according to this paper, doubled his salary, while raising taxes 12.08 percent in LaGrange! Here are a few follow-up questions that I would like to get answered:
1. Does it really cost $440,000 to set up some office space to do this?
2. Which towns' general fund will this grant money go into?
3. How many people will be fired, and the cost savings of those fired?
4. How many people will be hired, and the cost?
5. Will Fishkill continue its four-day work week or go to five days to accommodate the residents of three other towns?
I already attempted to ask those questions at the two combined board meetings in Fishkill. But unfortunately, Fishkill Supervisor Joan Pagones first called the meeting "historic" and then threw out the press and the citizens of Fishkill, under the guise of executive session. I hope the Poughkeepsie Journal can do better.
Ozzy Albra
Fishkill
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