budget

Elimination of the ambulance service in 2009 means the city will be spending less money overall in 2010/11, according to City Manager Jason Molino's annual budget message.

The overall expense -- all budget lines -- for the city will be down $1.2 million, or 5.48 percent.

However, the General Fund expense will increase $183,116. The city must also continue to build its fund balance in order to be able to handle unanticipated events and put the city on a sound financial footing.

So a property tax increase of 3.07 percent is necessary, Molino wrote. It would raise the rate to $10.50 per $1,000. That works out to about $25 per year more for a home owner with an average valued house of $80,000.

Increased expenses for the city include:

• New York State Retirement Costs: Up $200,000 because the state's pension fund losses have exceeded more than $44 billion. All municipalities in the state are being forced to make up the difference.
• Police: The police department budget is up $74,000 following this summer's arbitration settlement.
• Fire: The fire budget is up $412,000 following the severance/settlement agreement related to elimination of the ambulance service. Overtime is down $35,000, but a big part of the increase is making up for increased state retirement costs.
• Contingency: Up $100,000 to plan for an unknown settlement with three of the city's unions currently in negotiations on new contracts.
• Health Insurance Reserve: The city is self-funded for now, but there is no reserve for an unexpected critical expense. Add, $60,000.

There are also some notable cost reductions for the city:

• DPW's budget is down $240,000, but there is still apparently money for required equipment replacements. The average age of DPW equipment is 24 years.
• The city is no longer paying back prior years' deficits at a rate of $250,000.
• The 2009/10 fiscal year was the first time in three years that the city wasn't engaged in temporary borrowing to pay bills. That means the city won't be making $33,000 in interest payments for a prior year's loans.

The proposed budget includes a 1.5-percent raise for 10 management employees.

Molino's budget notes that, "Over the course of the past three years the City has faced a lingering $2.2 million general fund deficit, significant cash flow deficiencies and deficits in all other operating funds."

This led the city to layoff 23 staff members and not fill 15 other staff positions. During those three years: there were no wage increases for union members or management; temporary borrowing was necessary to pay bills; and the ambulance service was eliminated, dispatch was consolidated and maintenance deferred.

"City staff has sharpened their pencils, adapted to crisis management and tapped into their creative and innovative minds to maintain service levels at reasonable costs," Molino writes. "As a result, the City of Batavia over the past three years has, by a slim margin, eliminated its prior fund balance deficits and begun to plan for what improvements and investments will be needed in order to maintain a sustainable community for our citizens."

County Jay Gsell has laid it out there -- in order to meet Genesee County's budgetary needs, residents will need to pay an additional 8 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

Gsell expects $24.7 million of the county's revenue to come from property tax. That's up 2.7 percent from the previous year.

The 8-cent increase works out to about $7 per year in higher taxes for a home owner with an $80,000 piece of property.

Gsell:

This 2010 recommendation is at best a hedge against continued fiscal pressures delivered at Genesee County’s doorstep with regard to increasing human services clients, criminal justice activity, poor economic indicator performance in the regional and state economies and the current mandated service delivery programs that harken back to the 1970’s origins with the unrealistic New York State spin of hooking county governments into not only delivering and administering what are typically state and federal partnerships in the rest of the U.S., but also having counties directly funding actual benefits – the so called “local shares.” 

There will also be no new county jobs created in county government, Gsell said.

Overall, the county budget is going up .01 percent to $140,666,000.

Gsell is also freezing pay at current levels -- no pay increases -- for top county management staff.

Mandated costs -- Medicaid, Early Intervention/Preschool, Handicapped Children’s, Mental Health LGU, Probation, County Jail and Public Defender/Assigned Counsel -- consume 84 percent of the county's property tax levy.

I know there has been a lot of talk about the City of Batavia saving money. Here is an idea that seems to be going around Erie county, lets downsize Council. Batavia seems to have a large council considering the times, maybe eliminating the two "at large"  positions to cut more fat from the city budget might be a good idea. Not sure if it has been looked at, but if we are looking to save money in the city, why not start at the top? Maybe its just me, but wouldnt that be responsible government?

The $3.26 million Genesee Community College budget received unanimous County Legislature support tonight.

The spending plan includes a commitment from the county for an additional $50,000 in spending in 2010, even though the county has not yet begun work on the 2010 budget.

"Higher education, with the way the economy is, is very important to people who need help in getting a job or keeping a job," said Ed DeJaneiro.

Both County Manager Jay Gsell and Legislator Charles Zambito noted that the county's contribution to GCC is among the lowest of any county in the state to a community college, as a percentage of the college budget.  Gsell also said after the meeting that GCC's students get one of the more affordable college educations in the state because GCC's coverage area is bigger than just one county.

The county's contribution to the spending plan will be $1,936,374.

Zambito spoke highly of GCC's efforts.

"Enrollment is the highest it's ever been and it's expected to be higher next year," Zambito said. "At a time when every other college is raising tuition, GCC is making a concerted effort not to increase tuition."

Students will pay $1,700 per semester in the coming academic year, or $140 per credit hour for part-time students.

It's unclear from the press release what Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer plans to accomplish with his Town Hall Meeting at the Old Court House on Saturday, but he wants to discuss the state budget with any local residents who have something to say or want to learn more.

The starts at noon.

“I voted NO on the State budget earlier this year because it eliminates the STAR rebate check program, increases spending by $12 Billion and imposes $2,400 in new costs for an average middle-class family.  With Western New Yorkers already struggling to cope with the national recession and hardworking families struggling to balance their own household budgets, the out-of-control spending and unnecessary tax and fee increases included in the State Budget could not have come at a worse time,” said Senator Ranzenhofer.

The budget is already passed, but at least Ranzenhofer is making himself easily accessible to voters.

Full press release after the jump:

Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer has announced a Town Hall Meeting for Saturday, June 6 at Noon at the Genesee County Legislature, 7 Main Street in Batavia.  The Town Hall Meeting will give residents an opportunity to discuss the 2009 State Budget with Senator Ranzenhofer. 

“I voted NO on the State budget earlier this year because it eliminates the STAR rebate check program, increases spending by $12 Billion and imposes $2,400 in new costs for an average middle-class family.  With Western New Yorkers already struggling to cope with the national recession and hardworking families struggling to balance their own household budgets, the out-of-control spending and unnecessary tax and fee increases included in the State Budget could not have come at a worse time,” said Senator Ranzenhofer.

Senator Ranzenhofer expressed his commitment to open, transparent State government.

“The 2009 State Budget was crafted in secret by three New York City legislators with no input from the public or upstate lawmakers.  This past year’s budget process has been the most secretive in New York State’s history. Residents of the 61st Senate District deserve an open discussion with their elected officials regarding these important matters.  By working together, I am confident that we can protect hardworking taxpayers, restore fiscal responsibility to Albany and get our State headed back in the right direction again.  I strongly encourage residents to attend the Town Hall Meeting next Saturday.”

The Town Hall Meeting is free and open to the public.  For more information, please contact Senator Ranzenhofer’s District Office by phone at (716) 631-8695.

Senator Ranzenhofer was elected to the New York State Senate in 2008.  He represents the 61st State Senate District which includes part of the city of Tonawanda, the Towns of Amherst, Clarence, Newstead and Tonawanda in Erie County and all of Genesee County.

Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer issued a press release reporting that three Democratic leaders are moving forward with a bill to reinstate STAR rebate checks.

The rebates were cancelled in the recently passed state budget and Ranzenhofer has been raising alarms about it since well before the budget was presented.

Press release follows the jump.

Albany, NY- Over the last several days Deputy Democrat Leader Jeff Klein along with Democrat Senators Craig Johnson and Brian Foley have announced that they are going to move forward a bill to restore STAR rebate checks.  It seems they are taking a backwards approach to government namely-“they voted against it, before voting for it.” Their conversion is certainly welcome, but also likely to be too little, too late.

During the months of February and March and during the budget debate that followed on April 3rd Senator Ranzenhofer was the most vocal and passionate advocate for the restoration of STAR rebate checks in the State Senate. He stood up for his constituents and for his fellow Western New Yorkers while area Democrat Senators voted in lockstep with their New York City leadership to eliminate property tax relief. “During the budget debate I pleaded with my democrat colleagues to stand with me to protect the taxpayer. I pointed out that during an economic crisis we could not afford to put any additional property tax burden on struggling families. I put forward an amendment to restore STAR checks only to see every Democrat, these three included, vote no. I am happy that Senator Klein has heard the outcry from the people of this state and now adopted my position on this issue.  I hope that he can persuade his friends the Governor and Speaker Silver to join with me in also supporting taxpayers,” said Ranzenhofer.

With Speaker Silver saying that the Assembly will not pass this plan and the governor saying that there is no money to pay for the cost it is unlikely that the Klein scheme will ever become law. “While Senators Klein, Johnson and Foley refused to protect property taxpayers during the budget debate, when they could have made a decisive difference, I welcome them to this battle now. I call on them to offer the restoration of STAR rebate checks as a stand-alone measure, and allow a simple up or down vote in the Senate and demand the same of the State Assembly,” said Ranzenhofer. 

Finally, Senator Ranzenhofer called on Senators Klein, Foley and Johnson to be pragmatic when it comes to cutting spending and paying for programs.  “I have proposed and continue to support a 15% across the board spending cut plan, to be implemented working with agency and department heads to improve efficiency and streamline government.”  Senator Ranzenhofer’s plan stands in stark contrast to the unrealistic Klein plan which counts heavily on collecting $500 million from cigarette sales on Indian Reservations which have never been collected.  “If we are going to solve problems, we have to be realistic,” Senator Ranzenhofer said “We can’t use revenue that may or may not be collected in the future to pay our bills today, that is the height of fiscal irresponsibility,” concluded Ranzenhofer.

Here's a good bit of writing and reporting from Scott DeSmit on the pinch, if not outrage, from local business owners over the fee and tax increases in the new state budget.

Great lead:

The New York state budget will be enacted this week and you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who isn't harboring thoughts of revolution.

The print edition includes a good breakout box of 19 increases hitting consumers and businesses.

Among the largest, up to 5,000 percent increase in cigarette taxes.  As Scott writes, you read that right: 5,000.

Jeff Heubusch, owner of Southside Deli on Ellicott Street in Batavia, said he already knows what he's going to do about the new fee. He's not going to pay it.

"I definitely won't carry cigarettes," he said. "The profit margin just isn't worth it. If I stop selling them, so what? Our main business is food."

Heubusch said he would have to pay $2,500 to sell cigarettes.

"We used to sell 150 cartons a week in the 1990s," he said. "Now, we're lucky to sell 20 a week. I'm sure there's a motive for this. I think what's going to happen is you'll find that instead of 50 places to buy cigarettes, you'll be down to two or three."

Read the whole thing.

We've had some discussion on The Batavian about "where are the local Democrats on the state budget." I've made at least one similar statement, and it's also come up in comments.

As part of an e-mail exchange today with Genesee County Democratic Chair Lorie Longhany, I asked Lorie for her statement on the budget.  Below is her statement, but she also said her teaching duties have been pretty full the past week or so.

Here's her statement:

While the budget has been controversial and has been the subject of much criticism, what needs to be considered is the unprecedented fiscal crisis that New York is facing. 

The budget closes the largest spending gap in state history -- 17.7 billion, 12 billion including the stimulus.  It includes 6.5 billion in spending cuts, nearly twice the amount of cuts as any governor from either party has ever proposed.

From the budget itself on the STAR rebate: The Enacted Budget eliminates the STAR rebate program as well as the corresponding enhanced NYC STAR tax credit, producing savings of $1.5 billion in 2009-10. Even after this action, the STAR exemption program and NYC STAR credit will continue to provide $3.3 billion in property tax relief.

Additionally, the Executive Budget proposal to decrease the “floor” reduction – the maximum reduction in STAR benefits that can occur as a result of changes in assessed value or market value –from 18 percent to 11 percent is not included in the Enacted Budget.

Cuts to health care waste and inefficiency, reforming the Rockefeller Drug Laws, the bottle bill and a temporary increase in personal income tax that progressively targets those making over $300,000 + help to reduce the gap.  The increase in spending is the result of stimulus money that will be redistributed throughout the state for infrastructure and job creation.

The budget is painful and not perfect, with some targeted cuts that I personally didn't agree with, but the situation that led us to this place culminated long before Governor Paterson and the newly elected Senate Democrats took over.  Tough times call for shared sacrifice and shared solutions. 

Now is the time for New Yorkers to come together and find viable solutions, not waste time with talk of division and secession.  Bringing high speed rail to fruition and creating a linkage between our upstate agri-businesses and downstate markets can bridge the divide and help both areas of the state to connect and flourish.

We just received this statement from Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer's office:

“I lead the fight for homeowners, seniors and middle-class families on the Senate floor today and proposed an amendment to the State budget that would have reinstated STAR rebate checks for each and every homeowner in Western New York. 

Unfortunately, Senate democrats rejected my proposal, refusing to provide tax relief for homeowners that already pay some of the highest property taxes in the nation.  As a result, families will lose an average of $369 in Erie County and $525 in Genesee County for 2009 in much needed property tax relief. 

The Albany politicians still do not understand that Western New Yorkers need property tax relief now.  In these tough economic times, Western New Yorkers, especially middle-class families and seniors, need the STAR rebate checks to pay sky-rocketing property taxes just to make ends meet. 

Just as I did today on the Senate floor and at news conference outside property taxpayers’ houses weeks ago in Tonawanda and LeRoy, I will continue to fight to preserve the STAR program and property tax relief for Western New York.”

The Buffalo News reports this morning that a group of Western New York State Assembly Democrats "rebelled" against party bosses by voting "no" on a slate of budget bills.

But how much of a rebellion is it when the outcome is predetermined?

And 23 Democrats — nearly a quarter of the party’s conference — voted no on a massive bill involving health care spending.

What’s going on? Why would so many Democrats buck their leadership on such a crucial matter?

One answer is because Democrats control the Assembly with a highly secure 109-41 margin, leaving plenty of wiggle room to let some members avoid making a politically uncomfortable vote without affecting the overall outcome of a bill the leadership wants passed.

So some Democrats who might face a backlash back home get to play it safe and "buck" party leadership. Does it really make a difference? We still get stuck with this loser of a budget.

In a statement issued last night, Assemblyman Steve Hawley said the elimination of VLT money (video lottery terminal funds) is going to cost both Batavia and the County some big bucks.

Today we asked City Council President Charlie Mallow (who, along with Rose Mary Christian, apparently will be a candidate for the County Legislature) about the impact of the state budget on local governments.

Charlie sent along this statement:

The city never planned for the VLT money to continue. We have always looked at the money as a short term windfall that was used to pay down the city’s debt. This year we used most of the money for designs to plan for infrastructure repairs.  On the bright side we were able to dodge a bullet that would have taken $40,000 in state aid that helps support our Youth bureau. We lobbied hard to change the governor’s mind about those block grants.  As far as I am aware at this point, some careful planning has helped us in the long run and this budget shouldn’t have a major effect on the city.

Hawley's statement about the VLT cuts:

The budget will also include a 50% reduction in VLT funding that will leave municipalities that depend on this money left holding the bag. The City of Batavia will see a cut of $314,849, the Town of Batavia $114,563, and Genesee County $143,137.  This lack of funding will force municipalities to pass along the added burden to taxpayers.

Reltated but out of the area: In an editorial, The Canandaigua Daily Messenger  recently said Farmington was wise not to count on keeping VLT money, which has been targetted for potential cuts before.

We just received the following statement from Assemblyman Steve Hawley. 

I did not know until I read it here that the proposed budget shifts money from local governments to the state, which as Hawley points out, is going to only mean increased local taxes (or severe cuts in services).

I've tried to keep my comments on the budget as non-partisan as possible.  The shipwreck of a budget could have just as easily been produced by a GOP-controlled Albany -- maybe not the same, but I have no confidence the Republicans could do any better. That said, I think it needs to be said: Local Democrats tend to be pretty active commenters on The Batavian. It's noteworthy, then, that in two days of raising the budget issue on The Batavian, none of the usual Democratic stalwarts have stepped forward to defend Paterson, Smith and Silver.  Maybe my noting this will bring forth some sort of intelligent defense. I would love to hear it. But I suspect strongly that any common-sense Democrat also recognizes this budget proposal is exceptionally indefensible.

Hawley's statement follows the jump:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) today expressed his displeasure with the 2009-10 State Budget and the secret negotiations used to hammer out a deal.

"The budget was agreed upon in secret closed-door meetings that involved the state's three legislative leaders, Governor Paterson (D - Harlem), Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D - Queens) and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D - Manhattan/Chinatown) - all downstate New York City Democrats - with no input from other elected representatives.

"The state budget, details of which were hashed out at the last minute under a cloud of secrecy, lacked the transparency and openness that New Yorkers deserve. Albany's dysfunction once again reared its ugly head at a time when the state is in the midst of a recession and is struggling to survive with a $17 billion budget deficit.

"The $132 billion spending plan calls for a ten percent increase, or $10.5 billion in spending, over last year and includes $7 billion in new taxes and fees. In addition, the budget eliminates the critical STAR Rebate program that provides middle-income homeowners with $1.7 billion in relief from skyrocketing property taxes. More taxes and no property tax relief is the last thing that New Yorkers need right now. Raising taxes through "hidden" fees will force more New Yorkers to flee the state in search of less expensive areas and will further erode the state's tax base.  The governor is retaining $1 billion from the federal stimulus program (newly printed money) and I challenge him to use it all to reinstate the STAR Rebate program.

"The budget will also include a 50% reduction in VLT funding that will leave municipalities that depend on this money left holding the bag. The City of Batavia will see a cut of $314,849, the Town of Batavia $114,563, and Genesee County $143,137.  This lack of funding will force municipalities to pass along the added burden to taxpayers.

"The budget spends too much, taxes too much and does nothing to solve the state's fiscal problems. New Yorkers are struggling everyday to pay their bills and put food on the table and placing additional tax burdens on their backs will only further the struggle. New Yorkers deserve better, and for this reason I have voted no on the entire 2009-10 state budget."

Albany Watch reports on Gov. Paterson defending the "three men in a room" budget:

“None of this makes sense,” he said when asked if the new taxes and fees make sense in the face of the state’s economic woes. “We don’t want to tax the wealthy, we don’t put these taxes in to raise fees, we don’t want to hold our school budgets at zero increase at a time when our children need education. We don’t want to in any way jeopardize anyone’s ability to get health care.

“We don’t want to lay workers off. It’s a response to a crisis.”

Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, said “this is not a happy budget” and defended the need to negotiate the budget behind closed doors, saying “Difficult times call for different approaches” but that transparency is still important.

Elizabeth Benjamin, blogging for The Daily News, also carries a portion of Paterson's defense of the budget.

The governor started out by arguing it's unfair to characterize this budget as dramatically increasing spending because the bulk of the additional cash going out the door - about $7.2 billion - is federal stimulus aid.

The only reason state spending isn't being reduced, Paterson maintained, is due to increased allocations for things like Medicaid, food stamps and unemployment insurance - all going up as a result of the economic crisis - things over which, according to the governor, the state has "no control."

The blog Open Left praises the increased tax on the wealthy as a victory for progressives.

This is the Make Him Do It Dyanmic on the state level - in this case, progressive groups, led by the Working Families Party, forced Democratic Gov. David Paterson (D) to accept a commonsense, progressive budget/tax solution. It shows that movement pressure - whether you want to denigrate it as  "anger" or "outrage" or "insufferable stridence" - can actually create significant concrete results.  

The Niagara Times takes the position that Paterson, Smith and Silver are once again "sticking it to update."

And despite the enormous fiscal pressure the state faces, the budget contains $170 million in financing for pet projects — an amount unchanged from last year — suggesting that Albany’s appetite for with what critics call pork-barrel spending appeared to be undiminished.

Listed in the budget were grants to gun clubs, an upstate museum dedicated to bricks and brick-making, the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta and an organization known as the Urban Yoga Foundation.

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership Blog says the budget is not terribly helpful to small businesses.

It's interesting - we're spending an awful lot of energy as a nation looking into how companies such as AIG and GM are using stimulus money - which is good (at least it would've been good had it been done proactively instead of after all hell broke loose). Let's hope that Washington begins to put the same scrutiny on states, because it's pretty certain that this "three men in a room" budget misses the boat on the intent of the historic federal aid.

You have to go back only a couple months to remember Gov. Paterson saying that everyone will have the "share the pain." Well, this budget is painful for a lot of people - small businesses, students, everyday citizen taxpayers... The only entity that seems to have come away unscathed is New York State, itself - to the point, even, that they've left $170MM in pork for the state legislature to divvy out. A week ago, there was a threat of layoffs in state government. Nope. There's been talk of a cost-saving Tier V level of the state employees' pension system. Nope.

The Albany Project offers up a round of news coverage.

Taxes are going up, and salaries are doing the same for non-union and part-time city employees, as reported by Daily News reporter Joanne Beck.

City Council approved the budget 2009-2010 by a slim 5-4 vote.

Councilmen Tim Buckley, Marianne Clattenburg, Kathy Briggs, Frank Ferrando and Charlie Mallow voted yes for both resolutions. Councilmen Bill Cox, Bob Bialkowski, Sam Barone and Rose Mary Christian voted no to both.

Taxes will be raised by 2.17 percent, with $216,733 coming from the increase. $5,264,769 of the $23.3 million budget will be raised by taxes.

Nearly $1.7 billion in education aid will make its way to New York schools from the stimulus package, Sen. Charles Schumer announced today. That $1.7 billion will be direct aid, he stressed, in addition to another $4.7 billion "in additional education and other aid to New York State schools."

Of that, the Western New York districts will see $102 million. We have not received the details on a county-by-county breakdown, but we hope to have the specific figures for you later this morning.

Details from the press release:

The U.S. Department of Education estimates that the economic stimulus package will include nearly $22 billion in direct education aid through the Title I and Special Education/ Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) federal formulas nationwide. Upstate New York is estimated to receive a total of approximately $320 million in new funding for Special Education and approximately $176 million in Title I grants, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and the Department of Education respectively, for a total of $496 million in new direct funding to Upstate New York schools. This funding will give New York’s school districts the flexibility and tools they need to keep serving and educating our children.
 
Here is how the funding will break down across the state:

    * Capital Region schools will receive an additional $36 million in Special Education/IDEA funding and $14 million in Title I grants for a total of $50 million in direct school aid.
    * Central New York schools will receive an additional $37 million in Special Education/IDEA funding and $25 million in Title I grants for a total of $62 million in direct school aid.
    * Hudson Valleyschools will receive an additional $94 million in Special Education/IDEA funding and $37 million in Title I grants for a total of $131 million in direct school aid.
    * North Country schools will receive an additional $21 million in Special Education/IDEA funding and $11 million in Title I grants for a total of $31 million in direct school aid.
    * Rochester-Finger Lakes schools will receive an additional $48 million in Special Education/IDEA funding and $32 million in Title I grants for a total of $79 million in direct school aid.
    * Southern Tier schools will receive an additional $24 million in Special Education/IDEA funding and $13 million in Title I grants for a total of $38 million in direct school aid.
    * Western New York schools will receive an additional $58 million in Special Education/IDEA funding and $44 million in Title I grants for a total of $102 million in direct school aid.

Updated (11:55 a.m.): We received the full report from Sen. Schumer's office. Genesee county will receive a total of $3 million in direct aid stimulus funding. That will be divided as follows:

• Alexander Central School District: $265,618
• Batavia City School District: $983,317
• Byron-Bergen Central School District: $340,026
• Elba Central School District: $172,529
• Oakfield-Alabama Central School District: $309,421
• Pembroke Central School District: $332,549
• Pavilion Central School District: $258,944
• Le Roy Central School District: $371,503

You can download the complete report here.

Earlier today, we reported that the city of Batavia may not release the salaries of its city employees until after the City Council has already voted on the budget. Several individuals have come to us to express concern over the choice by Council to institute raises for city officials when unemployment is on the rise and every week seems to bear the news of another downtown business closing shop.

Is it just? Should city officials and department heads get raises just because all other city employees are guaranteed a raise under their union contract?

Batavia's City Council will hold a public hearing tonight at 7 o'clock on the proposed budget for next year. Council has worked the property tax increase down to about 3 1/2 percent according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. Further budget cuts have reduced the increase to 2.17 percent. Water rates are slated for a 4 percent hike. That meeting will be at City Hall.

After slimming the budget by a half million dollars last night, the Batavia City School Board has already cut the proposed property tax increase from 23 to 16 percent, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. City Schools Superintendent Margaret Puzio told Fischer that she hopes an offer of early retirement option to three labor unions could help stave off any outright layoffs of teachers or staff. Puzio also hopes and expects to further reduce the tax increase. Visit the WBTA Web site to hear her comments on that.

Batavia city schools are closed today for Superintendent's Conference Day. Also, LeRoy BOCES school is closed today due to a water main break.

Batavia's City School Board will meet tonight at 7 o'clock to discuss the proposed budget for next year, WBTA's Dan Fischer reports. In its current version, the budget calls for a 23 percent property tax increase.

Students will not have classes at Notre Dame High School today. A funeral mass will be held this morning at 10 o'clock at St. Anthony's Church for Nadine Netter, the school's cook who died unexpectedly last week.

Batavians can take some comfort in the fact that the City Council recently whittled down the proposed tax increase of 3.6 percent down to 2.17 percent, without really sacrificing any city services—the jury is still out on whether the ambulance flap will help or hinder us in the long run.

Nevertheless, some rumors are going around that the Council has instituted raises for all of the city department heads. We put the question to Council President Charlie Mallow this morning in an e-mail. He told us that "all city employees have mandated cost of living increases based on union contracts except seven administrative people." Mallow feels that it's unfair for those seven people not to receive the same sort of "increases"—he never used the word "raise"—as the rest of the union-backed employees.

His words:

There is a sense of right and wrong here. I do not believe non-union employees should be punished for not being part of a collective barging unit. Keep in mind that our administrative people have worked hand in hand with council to eliminate close to a $3 million dollar spending deficit in the last two years. The hard work of these administrative people reduced the size of city government. Some people out of sheer ignorance would like to single these people out; I think the rest of the community understands how far we have come and who helped us along the way.

Here are some of the budgeted figures listed under "personnel services"—does not include overtime, social security, supplies, etc.—for a few of the city's top offices (2008 and 2009):

• City Manager's Office: $103,629 (2008), $106,140 (2009)
• Bureau of Finance: $35,639 (2008), $39,040 (2009)
• Bureau of City Assessment: $33,624 (2008), $34,590 (2009)
• Bureau of Inspection: $138,246 (2008); $195,860 (2009)

Strangely, the "Bureau of the Clerk-Treasure" is scheduled for a reduction in its budget for personnel services in 2009. That office was listed at $64,212 in 2008; $60,790 has been listed for 2009.

Since the budget does not break down each city employee's salary into a tidy, comprehensible format, we asked Mallow if the Council had a document illustrating all of the changes that were effected. He replied: "A list of budget changes does not exist; it was a very fluid process." We then asked if the city could provide a list of every employee's salary for 2008 and the proposed salary for 2009. We're waiting on that.

More from Mallow:

The single most important thing behind this budget was planning for the future with a series of contingency funds. These funds will allow the city to save for future equipment purchases. Doing this will allow us to have a stable tax rate in the future and be less prone to large swings like we have seen in the past. People should understand that we have taken on the practices that businesses use every day. We plan, we have goals and we live within our budget.