Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Dutchess deficit $40 million, Fishkill tax payers pay attention.

You pay more in county taxes than town. For more local news. Check out www.midhudsonnews.com

Molinaro calls on state lawmakers to implement “significant mandate relief”

POUGHKEEPSIE – As state leaders put the finishing touches on the state’s 2012-2013 budget, which must be adopted by Saturday night, March 31, Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro has written to them urging that “significant mandate relief” is necessary to aid all counties.

A two percent tax cap was implemented months ago, forcing all levels of local governments to further tighten their belts in these continued difficult economic times. Molinaro noted that nine state mandates along consume 90 percent of each county’s property tax levy. Safety Net, child welfare, indigent defense, probation, youth detention, and pensions are among the so-called “big nine” unfunded mandates.

The county executive did note the delivery of a few relief measures including pension reform and the availability of some additional dollars for indigent defense.

But, the most costly mandate on counties is the cost of Medicaid. Molinaro told lawmakers a hard cap on Medicaid cost growth and a multi-year phase out of county payments for Medicaid are needed. He said counties also need reforms in Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education to permit greater municipal involvement.

“Without these reforms and other mandate relief, Dutchess County will be faced with difficult decisions for its 2013 budget in order to close an estimated $40 million gap”, Molinaro said.

http://midhudsonnews.com/News/2012/March/28/mandates_Molinaro-28Mar12.html

Monday, March 26, 2012

Missing $9.6 million in Dutchess County is gone

For more go to the Poughkeepsie Journal website or subscribe to the paper as I do.
Written by Larry Hertz: lhertz@poughkee.gannett.com. 845-437-4824. Twitter: @eagles416.

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20120326/WATCHDOG/303260029/The-saga-missing-9-6-million-end-s-gone

This is a important article for Fishkill residents. As you pay more in county taxes than your local taxes. The article identifies a dispute between the prior County Executive and current Comptroller. It also states that the county spent $26.9 million from the Reserve Fund to balance the 2012 budget. The story also indicated that these monies are nearly gone. This suggests to me, that 2013 will be a very difficult budget to balance for 2013.

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It wasn’t what you’d call a friendly disagreement.

Dutchess County Comptroller James Coughlan called then-County Executive William Steinhaus an “alarmist” who was misleading taxpayers about the state of the county’s finances. He announced in December 2010 he and his staff had uncovered $9.6 million in unspent county funds.

Steinhaus counter-punched. He called Coughlan, who had taken office 11 months earlier, inexperienced in county finances and pronounced the comptroller’s claims “ludicrous.”

Fifteen months later, county officials now agree Coughlan had identified $9.6 million in unspent county funds between 2005 and 2009.

But those officials also say all the extra money has since been spent and the county is running on a budget with virtually no extra cash.
Feeling vindicated

Budget Director Valerie Sommerville, who held the same job under Steinhaus, said Coughlan and his staff did, in fact, identify $9.6 million in unspent appropriations.

“The comptroller was diligent in drilling down into our encumbrances to squeeze out the ($9.6 million) that was there,” Sommerville said.

Coughlan said he had always been confident in the work he and his staff had done in scrutinizing county finances.

“Do I feel vindicated? I would say yes,” Coughlan said last week. “The money was there and it was part of the $29 million in fund balance that we had at the end of (2011).”

But the ultimate answer to the question of who was right when the dispute broke out depends on how the term “fund balance” is defined, financial experts say.

Coughlan’s contention that the county had unspent funds that had not been previously noted in county budget documents was confirmed by the independent auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. The comptroller cited a 2010 memo from the firm saying Coughlan had identified $4.99 million in extra funds in the 2007, 2008 and 2009 budget years.

“We recommend that management continue to review all liquidations to ensure they are appropriately posted to the general ledger in the appropriate period,” the auditors’ memo said.

Coughlan said the balance of the money he cited had been found in unspent funds in 2005 and 2006.

Sommerville said last week that while she agreed Coughlan and his staff had uncovered some unspent funds, she still contended the money could not be considered part of the fund balance until all outstanding bills and revenues for the year had been reconciled.

“I’m not arguing with (Coughlan) over the ($9.6 million figure), but I did take exception to his timing,” she said.

Coughlan and Sommerville said some budget lines weren’t adequately funded, such as the costs of housing jail inmates in other facilities.

In addition, some anticipated revenues were not received, further reducing the amount of cash the county had available.
'Fluid concept'

Sommerville said new procedures recommended by the PricewaterhouseCoopers auditing firm are in place and she and Coughlan were “in full agreement” with County Executive Marc Molinaro that there is little or no fund balance left.

“Until we know the full depth and breadth of all expenditures and revenues last year, it’s premature to say exactly what the fund balance is, but Jim and I and the county executive are now on the same page,” Sommerville said.

The county Legislature used $26.9 million in surplus funds to balance the 2012 budget, and in his state-of-the-county address last month Molinaro said there was “virtually no fund balance” heading into the new year.

Coughlan described the fund balance as a “very fluid concept” that varies throughout the budget year and depends on “revenue targets” — the amount of money the county expects to receive in taxes, fees and other sources — as well as how much money the county spends out of each line item in the budget. He said the county often does not receive as much revenue from taxes or state reimbursements as anticipated.

Sommerville noted the 2011 budget adopted by the county Legislature had anticipated $1.7 million from the expected reinstatement of the county’s share of a tax on home mortgages.

That money was not collected because state lawmakers failed to pass legislation permitting the county to collect the tax, she said.
Fund balance

County Finance Commissioner Pamela Barrack said the term “fund balance” doesn’t necessarily signify cash that can be used for any and all county expenses.

“Fund balance is not cash,” Barrack said. “Fund balance is the difference between net assets and net liabilities on the balance sheet as of Dec. 31.”

Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach said he was not familiar with the facts surrounding the dispute in Dutchess County.

But he cited recent amendments to accounting principles accepted by the financial industry that list several distinct types of “fund balance.”

They can include revenues or expenditures earmarked for a specific purpose and even inventory a government has on hand that cannot be converted to cash.

“When you’re talking about fund balance, you have to ask what kind,” he said. “That question always has to be asked before you get a true financial picture, and that’s done in concert with outside auditors.”

Auerbach said he knew of a school district in Ulster County that had established a fund to be used strictly to pay back taxpayers who are successful in appealing their assessments, reducing their property taxes.

“It would be misleading to call the money sitting in this account part of a general fund balance because it can’t be used for other purposes,” he said.
Looking ahead

Coughlan said he agreed with Molinaro and Sommerville that “almost all of (Dutchess County’s existing fund balance) was used to cover an expected deficit in the 2012 budget.”

Sommerville, Coughlan and Molinaro said they believed a system was now in place to scrutinize county spending and analyze the potential for increasing revenue more closely.

The three officials are meeting regularly with members of the Budget, Finance and Computer Information Systems departments as members of a new committee dubbed FAST (Fiscal Accountability and Strategic Thinking).

Molinaro said it would be the committee’s job to work with department heads “to look for areas of savings and accessing more revenues.

“This county government is a fairly efficient institution, but there are areas where we can enhance those efficiencies,” the county executive said.

Molinaro said Coughlan and Sommerville had already begun analyzing some of the county’s major expenditures.

“Next, we’ll pick a few specific areas and analyze how we might consolidate or deliver services differently,” he said.

Coughlan said the FAST committee would tackle “macro” issues, such as why the county Department of Mental Hygiene spends more than such agencies in other counties of comparable size. But he said he’d also be talking to county employees about simpler ways to save money, such as turning out the lights and turning down the heat.

“Utility costs are one area we’ll be looking at. Knocking a couple of degrees off the thermostat can add up to significant savings,” he said.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

3/21/2012 Fishkill Town Board Meeting

http://www.fishkill-ny.gov/pdfs/TownBoardAgendas/2012%20Agendas/03-21-2012%20%20TB%20Agenda.pdf

Monsignor Martin of St. Mary's paid tribute to the late Councilman Steve Ferguson.

The board is going to repeal Chapter 43 of the Town Code, regarding the Apprentice Program. A member of local labor Jeff Loughlin made a public comment about it.

Mrs. Principe spoke about how she favored Term Limits that was discussed at last weeks Workshop Meeting.

The board is also planning to pass a law to over ride the 2% Tax Levy.

AVR, which owns waterfront property across the RR tracks. Wants to give the town some land. So the town can apply for grants to build a bridge over the tracks to gain access to the property. Estimates are $6 million for the bridge. The developer is expecting the taxpayer to foot the bill. Once the bridge is built, the developers property will increase dramatically. The land is currently zoned Industrial and would also have to be changed.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Former Councilman passes away

Steven Ferguson, a former councilman in the Town of Fishkill, has passed away, according to town officials.

Ferguson, who served on the board for close to 14 years, died Saturday in North Carolina, according to town Supervisor Bob LaColla.

He was 73.

Ferguson had been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and moved to Mooresville, N.C., at the beginning of the year to be closer to family, said former Supervisor Joan Pagones.

Ferguson resigned from the town board at the end of last year.

Ferguson was born Jan. 22, 1939, in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., according to his obituary. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked for IBM for 27 years. In Fishkill, Ferguson was involved with the fire police with Slater Chemical Fire Company and was a member of St. Mary Mother of the Church, according to his obituary.

He is survived by his wife, Catherine "Cathy" Ferguson.

A funeral will be held in North Carolina, and he will be buried with full military honors at Glenwood Memorial Park, in Mooresville, according to the obituary.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Mayor Miccio supports "Mayors Against Illegal Guns"

In the March 2012 issue of "The Bullet." The official Journal of NRA affiliated NYS Rifle & Pistol Association. Mayor Miccio is identified as supporter of (MAIG).

The President of the NYS Rifle & Pistol Association, Thomas King. Has a in depth article in the March 2012 Journal regarding (MAIG)

Thursday, March 8, 2012

3/7/2012 Fishkill Board Meeting

Mr. Knips the Planning Board Chairman resigned and was voted in as a member of the Town Board. This comes after former Councilman Ferguson resigned.

Also big problems with the Dutchess Park Sewer District. It appears that former Supervisor Pagones lowered the rates for political purposes. Thus, a $600,000 surplus has dropped to zero balance and will be in the red very soon.

Monday, March 5, 2012

20,000 Page-views and counting

Went over 20,000 page-views over the weekend. I would like to thank everyone that views my blog. Not bad for a site that is not even advertised.

This blog is your #1 source for Fishkill news. No one covers Fishkill government and politics better than me.

Once again, thanks for your support!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Mayor Miccio calls for pension reform

Fishkill Village Mayor / Dutchess County Legislator Miccio. Calls for pension reform. He is currently employed by the City of New York in their Department of Environmental Protection as a Section Chief for Environmental, Health and Safety Training.


March 2, 2012
Assemblyman Joel M. Miller
3 Neptune Road, Suite A19F
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

Dear Assemblyman Miller:

As the Mayor of the Village of Fishkill in your district, I urge you to consider the needs of our constituents and pass Governor Cuomo’s pension reform proposal.Reducing the cost of pension benefits is essential to preventing higher taxes for our residents and avoiding drastic cuts to vital local services. For years, special interest groups have successfully been obstacles to achieving real reform. We cannot afford to let that happen again this year. We urge you to stand up for the needs of the taxpayers and vote to reform the State’s pension system.The increasing un-sustainability of New York State’s pension system has already placed a heavy burden on our budget and our taxpayers. Without significant reform now, this problem will soon become a crisis for the Village of Fishkill and all other communities in this state. Under the Governor’s plan, the Village of Fishkill would save $1,373,491over the next thirty years, and not a single current employee would see any change in their pension benefits. Only future employees would be asked to contribute a little bit more to ensure that we can afford to deliver the benefits we are promising to our workers.The Village of Fishkill and our taxpayers are hoping we can count on you to provide the relief we so desperately need by passing meaningful pension reform as part of the State
Budget.

Sincerely,

James J. Miccio,

Mayor Village of Fishkill

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March 2, 2012
State Senator Stephen Saland
Neptune Road, Suite A19B
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

Dear Senator Saland:

As the Mayor of the Village of Fishkill in your district, I urge you to consider the needs of our constituents and pass Governor Cuomo’s pension reform proposal.Reducing the cost of pension benefits is essential to preventing higher taxes for our residents and avoiding drastic cuts to vital local services. For years, special interest groups have successfully been obstacles to achieving real reform. We cannot afford to let that happen again this year. We urge you to stand up for the needs of the taxpayers and vote to reform the State’s pension system.The increasing un-sustainability of New York State’s pension system has already placed a heavy burden on our budget and our taxpayers. Without significant reform now, this problem will soon become a crisis for the Village of Fishkill and all other communities in this state. Under the Governor’s plan, the Village of Fishkill would save $1,373,491over the next thirty years, and not a single current employee would see any change in their pension benefits. Only future employees would be asked to contribute a little bit more to ensure that we can afford to deliver the benefits we are promising to our workers.The Village of Fishkill and our taxpayers are hoping we can count on you to provide the relief we so desperately need by passing meaningful pension reform as part of the State Budget.

Sincerely,

James J. Miccio,

Mayor Village of Fishkill