Record staffers bring you information on the comings and goings of New York's Collar City.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Video: Full interview with Mayor Tutunjian
Yesterday we posted a story about the continuing budget battle between the administration and the Council Majority, including a video interview with Mayor Harry Tutunjian. Below is a complete version of that interview -- clocking in at nearly 17 minutes -- in which the Mayor discusses not only the budget veto, but the role of the State Comptroller's Office in the budget process, improving communication with the Council Majority and his thoughts on what a veto override could mean for the city.
Mayor Harry Tutunjian has posted a video on the (now infamous) "Troy, NY" Facebook page, discussing his thoughts on the proposed 2011 budget, the Council's changes and the process up to this point (including the meeting yesterday that was an "absolute waste of time").
What do you think will happen at tonight's meeting? How do you feel about the Mayor using Facebook to address people directly? Post your thoughts in the comments!
Preliminary schedule of 2011 budget meetings and hearings
Below, in .PDF and calendar form, is the preliminary schedule of committee meetings and public hearings to discuss the proposed 2011 budget. The public hearings are all taking place at Christ Church United Methodist at 35 State Street while the committee meetings will be held at City Hall at 1776 Sixth Ave.
Some committees will be more interesting than others -- given that the water and sewer budgets have remained steady, the Public Utilities committee is likely to be uneventful. Given that Council President Clem Campana has said he is looking to focus on the Parks & Recreation budget in light of issues with the Frear Golf Course and the pool openings, expect some changes -- or at least discussion -- during that meeting on October 20.
After last year's attempts to remove the Deputy Director of Public Information position (currently filled by Jeff Pirro) and then-DPW Commissioner Bob Mirch, the October 19 meeting discussing Mayor's Office and Administration expenses may produce some controversy, but Mayor Tutunjian has already removed funding for the top DPW job, so it will remain to be seen.
Here is the full list of committee meetings and public hearings, as well as the specific budget lines that will be discussed at each, embedded in .PDF form:
Here is a calendar version of the meeting schedule for the few out there, like me, who will probably be at every meeting. Click through for a full-size image:
The city's approved 2010 budget is now available for review on the City of Troy's Web site.
In addition to providing easy access to the documents, the page also features an amended message from Mayor Harry Tutunjian detailing the debacle of the fall budget process and his administration's battle with the City Council over the spending plan.
School district: last "town hall" meeting of the year
The following is a press release from the district:
What: Troy City School District’s Town Hall Meeting
When: Monday, May 4, 2009 at 7 p.m.
Where: School 16 – 40 Collins Avenue, Troy, N.Y.
Details: The Board of Education for the Enlarged City School District of Troy, NY will host its final town hall meeting for the 2008-09 school year on Monday, May 4 at 7 p.m. at School 16.This will conclude its first year-long series of monthly public forums.
This meeting is open to the public and creates an opportunity for an informal question and answer session with Troy’s Board of Education and district administrators. The district also recently created an online feedback form at http://www.troy.k12.ny.us./feedback.asp where comments and questions can be sent in electronically, to be addressed at town hall meetings.
With the hopes of reaching all segments and neighborhoods within the district, town hall meetings were rotated monthly so that they were hosted by all eight schools. The meetings were held regularly at 7 p.m.; the series started in October 2008 and ends in May 2009.
On April 1, the Board of Education unanimously (8-0) adopted a budget of $95.1 million. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Wednesday, May 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Doyle Middle School Media Center. District residents will vote on the proposed budget on Tuesday, May 19, 2009.
Click here to view a copy of the Enlarged City School District of Troy's Spring newsletter, which will soon be mailed to city residents.
The newsletter includes useful details regarding the proposed $95.1 million budget which was adopted by the Board of Education on April 1 and the 3.84 percent tax increase that it carries.
It also mentions estimated tax rates based on the assessed value of city homes, discusses what will happen in the event that the proposed budget is voted down the public, and includes breakdowns of where the district's money will be spent as well as where it is coming from.
The Enlarged City School District of Troy is expected to lay off more than 60 employees by the end of its fiscal year.
The layoffs are part of an effort to balance a proposed $95.11 million that the Board of Education adopted on April 1. That budget will soon be presented to as part of a public referendum on May 19.
Board of Education President Jason Schofield said that the layoffs would be spread across the district’s three labor unions — the Troy Teachers Association, the Troy Administrators Union, and the Civil Service Employees Association.
Roughly 50 teachers will be laid off under the proposal. The district's business department, certain foreign language programs, and Troy High School's theater department will also likely be affected by the cuts.
Read more about the issue in Wednesday's edition of The Record.
The city's $62.24 million 2009 budget document has been posted on the city's Web site for residents to view and download at their leisure.
The document can be found here or can be purchased at City Hall for $10.
Mayor Harry Tutunjian said he was pleased that his proposed budget had been left intact by the City Council and that it was a benefit to city residents that Troy was one of few municipalities in the area without a tax increase for 2009.
Members of the Rensselaer County Legislature voice their concern Tuesday that the $121.1 billion 2009-2010 budget introduced by Gov. David Paterson included many tax increases and fees which could be harmful to county residents in light of the already troubled national economy.
"The proposed budget includes more than seven dozen tax or fee increases. Those hikes will only make the impacts of the downturn worse for our residents and businesses," said Neil Kelleher, chairman of the legislature.
"We know the state is dealing with huge fiscal problems, but tax increases and fee hikes are not the way to go. They will take more money out of the pockets of residents and businesses and that may make things worse," said Vice Chairman for Finance Richard Salisbury.
The legislators were also concerned that Paterson's budget did not give counties more power to reduce instances of Medicaid and welfare fraud when state mandated spending currently requires 90 cents out of every county tax dollar.
"The governor should use the budget to give counties more tools to fight abuse and fraud. Millions upon millions of dollars could potentially be recovered if obstacles were removed," said Thomas Walsh, Sr., vice chairman of the legislature.
Additionally, concerns were raised about the fact that the state budget includes 88 new or increased taxes and fees on everything from cable TV to sugary sodas.
"I can't recall a state budget that included so many tax increases for so many different things," said Legislator Martin Reid. "This budget will really hit New Yorkers hard because it would impact nearly every aspect of their lives."
City Council President Clement Campana, D-At Large, said tonight that he will not call any more special meetings this year.
The council would have had to call a special meeting prior to Dec. 15 to override a veto by Mayor Harry Tutunjian which knocked down an amendment they approved on Nov. 25 to move more than $500,000 from various budget lines into a contingency account in an attempt to save taxpayer money and provide fiscal oversight.
“There will be no special meeting called,” said Campana. “On be half of the citizens of the city, there needs to be oversight and we will meet in January to discuss how we’re going to provide it.”
Tutunjian and City Comptroller Deborah Witkowski previously stated that the council did not follow budget procedures when they introduced the amendment at the last minute and that the way they had moved funds would have led the budget to become unbalanced and unstructured.
After learning about Campana's decision, Tutunjian said he was pleased about the budget but concerned about what the council would do in 2009 and who was really in charge of the legislative body.
“I need to be able to talk to someone that can speak clearly for the majority of the City Council and I haven’t found that person yet,” said Tutunjian. “My confidence is shaken when I see a press release from the council president that says he’s going to do something one day and does the opposite the next day.”
A press release had been issued to some of the local media outlets with Campana's name on it Monday saying that the council would be overriding the mayor's veto Thursday at 7 p.m.
Mayor Harry Tutunjian and City Comptroller Deborah Witkowski said Tuesday that they would not certify the proposed 2009 city budget if an amendment moving more than $500,000 from various departments into a contingency fund was included in it.
The mayor and the comptroller believed the council didn't quite know what they were doing when they moved the funds because, according to them, the transfer of some of the money goes against fiscal law.
Other changes could jeopardize contracts the city has with independent auditors since Witkowski normally encumbers money for that purpose in a purchase order in January, for an amount higher than she has been left with after the council transfer, just to get on the auditor's schedule by mid-summer.
Council President Clement Campana, D-At Large, said that the council had not yet decided whether to override the mayor's veto of the amendment but the council still needed to provide more fiscal oversight on how the city spends its money.
Councilman Bill Dunne, D-District 4, said that the council had looked over the budget lines for unused funds before making their changes and could have moved a lot more money if they had wanted to be malicious.
The matter could soon end up in the hands of the state Comptroller since no one knows what will happen if the mayor and comptroller do not certify the city's budget.
Read more about this here on The Record's Web site.
On Monday, Mayor Harry Tutunjian vetoed the City Council's budget resolution which had moved more than $500,000 from various city departments into a contingency fund.
The council responded saying that they will call a special meeting as soon as Thursday to override the veto.
Tutunjian said that, while he disagreed with the changes made, he voted the legislation because the council did not follow proper budget procedures and because the resolution would leave the city with an unbalanced budget for the first time in more than 10 years.
Council President Clement Campana, D-At Large, said he planned to check with the majority's legal counsel to determine if anything had been done improperly and would fix it if that was the case.
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