While some readers have raised concerns that Fleur De Lis, the popular Second St. flower shop, had closed after its doors were recently locked for a few days, the shop is indeed open and geared up for the holiday season.

Owner Mary Genevieve said that the store had been closed simply so she could get her store ready for Christmas.

The shop is located at 15 Second St. in downtown Troy.

TROY – The City Council will hold its final public hearings Thursday on the proposed 2010 budget, which is estimated to carry a 2.2 percent tax increase after the council’s recent cuts.

While the meetings are designed to provide residents with a chance to speak their mind regarding both the budget and the council’s changes, Mayor Harry Tutunjian believed that most individuals will not have had enough time to understand the situation beforehand.

In a Tuesday meeting, the council planned to cut more than $426,000 from Tutunjian’s proposed $63.7 million budget by cutting overtime costs and consultant fees, eliminating the positions of employees expected to retire, and eliminating an employee of Tutunjian’s office while adding a position to their own budget.

Tutunjian’s budget would carry a tax increase of 4.25 on its own without the changes.

“They (residents) need to be included in these discussions,” said Tutunjian.

“The council is delusional if they think that the city is overstaffed and that our budget has room for cutting in it,” he continued. “Adopting budgets that are cut this deeply will put us back in the dark ages.”

Council members believed that making the cuts would reduce the burden on city taxpayers while leaving revenue sources and city services intact.

City Comptroller Deborah Witkowski warned the council during their meeting that the city could be forced to add an additional $1 million expense to the budget if the state Legislature does not pass a bill allowing municipalities to spread out increased pension costs over several years.

That alone could raise the tax increase to 7 or 8 percent, said Tutunjian, who is expected to veto the elimination of the positions of spokesman Jeff Pirro and Department of Public Works Commissioner Bob Mirch, who is retiring, if they are included in the budget the council ultimately adopts by Dec. 1.

While the council can override the mayor’s veto, Tutunjian said he would take the council to court once again on the issue of usurping his powers if he had to.

The public hearings will be held in the City Council chambers at City Hall on the capital budget at 7 p.m. and on the general fund budget at 7:30 p.m.

The City Council is expected review their proposed changes to the 2010 budget with the mayor this evening at City Hall.

Mayor Harry Tutunjian presented a $63.7 million proposed budget in October which would carry a 4.25 percent tax increase in January if no changes are made.

While preliminary changes suggested by the council were revealed last weekend in a Record article, the amounts are expected to vary this evening.

The council's Democratic majority gained an At-Large seat in last week's general election for a 7-2 majority once new members are seated in January.

The council meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall.

The Board of education has scheduled a special meeting of its Facilities Committee for Tuesday, Nov. 10 to discuss the proposed nearly $50 million re-construction project at Doyle Middle School. 

The meeting is scheduled from 6:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Based on the way the district plans to structure the repayment of its debt, officials are anticipating only a “minor tax impact, if any,” according to Board of Education Vice President Anne Wager-Rounds. Proposed financing for the project is currently dependent on annual state building aid as well as a $3.4 million state EXCEL grant.

The board must decide between options to move students to one of the district’s elementary schools, move some of them to the high school, or to contrast modular classrooms for at least half of the student body.

However, leaving even half of the students in the building during partial construction could extend the project time from 19 to 30 months, according to consultants working on the project.

Public input is encouraged.

The following is an excerpt from Mayor Harry Tutunjian's Message on the city's Web site which was posted Thursday concerning where the city currently stands with City Hall.

According to city spokesman Jeff Pirro, while there is not yet a definitive date established for the move to the former Verizon Building on Sixth Avenue, officials hope to make the move soon.

"CITY HALL

To that end, the vision to transform the current City Hall property into an attractive architectural masterpiece and riverfront public space has commenced. An internationally recognized firm, Sasaki Associates, has been hired to fine tune our vision for the most important site in our City. It is with great excitement and anticipation that we wait to see what will come. It is with a sense of relief we pack our offices and begin our long awaited move to the site of the temporary City Hall on Sixth Avenue.

Every journey begins with a first step, and this step has had its share of opposition and delay. The much talked about elevator has been installed and the building is being reviewed to make sure it is code compliant before we move in. We had hoped to be in sooner and we were faced with situations beyond our control, situations you face when you are a tenant, not the owner. We lived up to our contractual obligations and are confident that we will be reimbursed for our lost time and rent. I believe that in the end it will have been worth it. We will have a place to efficiently run City government and the people will have a stunning new development to compliment Monument Square.

We have proven that plans can become reality. I hope that you continue to believe in us and take pride in the good things happening in your City.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or complaints, please do not hesitate to call me (518) 270-4401 or e-mail the Mayor’s Office."

TROY – The Board of Education will hold a public meeting tonight to further discuss a nearly $50 million renovation project proposed for Doyle Middle School.

The board’s Facilities Committee will meet following a Finance Committee meeting to speak about the district’s options surrounding an extensive renovation for the middle school which could also include upgrades of Troy High School’s athletic fields.

Based on the way the district plans to structure the repayment of its debt, officials are anticipating only a “minor tax impact, if any,” according to Board of Education Vice President Anne Wager-Rounds. Proposed financing for the project is currently dependent on annual state building aid as well as a $3.4 million state EXCEL grant.

The board must decide between options to move students to one of the district’s elementary schools, move some of them to the high school, or to contrast modular classrooms for at least half of the student body.

However, leaving even half of the students in the building during partial construction could extend the project time from 19 to 30 months, according to consultants working on the project.

Public input is encouraged.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the media center at Doyle Middle School, located at 1976 Burdett Ave.

TROY – An event run by the city’s Police Athletic League last weekend helped get dozens of local children off the streets while bolstering community support.

A family fun day was held at the Central Little League field, located at the corner of Swift Street and Seventh Avenue on Sept. 19 which offered area youngsters a chance to meet their neighbors and simply have a good time with an afternoon of music, food, and activities.

Troy Community Police Officer Aaron Collington, one of the PAL organizers, said that the event was being used to gauge what can be done with the under-utilized ball field, with the hope of someday involving some 1,300 children in middle school across the city to keep them off the streets and make it less likely that they will be involved in criminal activity.

MacArthur Henderson, a parent whose children were enjoying the event, said he was happy to see so many children engaged and learning to respect the law.

“I’m happy to see this,” said Henderson, who noted that many children in the local neighborhoods did not have two parents at home to guide them in the right direction.

He also said that it was good to have people back enjoying the Little League’s facilities after the community had let it deteriorate over the years.

“It’s bringing the pride back to Central Little League,” said Henderson.

Additionally, Tyara Burnett volunteered her time as a disc jockey for the event and said she was hoping to establish future programs for city youth at the Troy Boys and Girls Club with her 518 Positive Reinforcement Dance Group.

The next PAL event is currently being planned as a bowling outing at Uncle Sam Lanes on Halloween.