RSS
Ivins to Murphy: HELP
A quick procedural note: it looks as though I will be able to attend part of Monday's community meeting. Yay!
*COMMISSIONER IVINS CALLS ON CONGRESSMAN MURPHY AND SENATOR GILLIBRAND TO HELP CITY FIGHT
TO RESTORE VLT AID FROM STATE*
Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Finance Kenneth Ivins Jr. today asked Congressman Murphy and Senator Gillibrand to stand with their constituents and City officials in lobbying Governor Paterson and the leadership of the State legislature to restore Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) aid to the City.
“I implore Congressman Murphy and Senator Gillibrand to lobby our State leaders on our behalf,” Commissioner Ivins said. “We cannot continue down this path and cannot ask our taxpayers to pay for services to a State facility they rarely visit. In this economy, with our revenues slumping, loss of VLT revenue will mean 2010 taxes most residents cannot afford. Our taxpayers should not be forced to balance the State’s budget woes on their backs.”
In 2007, the City of Saratoga Springs received $3,830,752 based on a formula adopted by the State legislature for all host municipalities. In 2008, the City received $3,322,274. In December 2008, Governor Paterson announced his intent for all host municipalities to receive half of the 2008 aid levels and the City budgeted $1,890,000. In March 2009, a new aid formula based on the host county’s poverty rate was created by Governor Paterson and the leadership of the State legislature. Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County are the */only/* host municipality and county to now receive zero VLT aid. As such, $135 million net win produced by the Saratoga facility was all returned back to the State coffers.
“We now have to shoulder the cost of increased services for a group of patrons who only visit for the day, without any assistance from the State,” Commissioner Ivins continued. “Raceway visitors spend money only there. They do not visit our downtown to increase our sales tax revenue or stay long enough to affect our occupancy tax to offset the cost of their visit.”
The VLT aid previously received by the City represents approximately *10% *of the City’s general fund budget and *25%* of property tax collection.
###
*/Attachment: Copy of letter to Congressman Murphy and Senator Gillibrand/*
*COMMISSIONER IVINS CALLS ON CONGRESSMAN MURPHY AND SENATOR GILLIBRAND TO HELP CITY FIGHT
TO RESTORE VLT AID FROM STATE*
Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Finance Kenneth Ivins Jr. today asked Congressman Murphy and Senator Gillibrand to stand with their constituents and City officials in lobbying Governor Paterson and the leadership of the State legislature to restore Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) aid to the City.
“I implore Congressman Murphy and Senator Gillibrand to lobby our State leaders on our behalf,” Commissioner Ivins said. “We cannot continue down this path and cannot ask our taxpayers to pay for services to a State facility they rarely visit. In this economy, with our revenues slumping, loss of VLT revenue will mean 2010 taxes most residents cannot afford. Our taxpayers should not be forced to balance the State’s budget woes on their backs.”
In 2007, the City of Saratoga Springs received $3,830,752 based on a formula adopted by the State legislature for all host municipalities. In 2008, the City received $3,322,274. In December 2008, Governor Paterson announced his intent for all host municipalities to receive half of the 2008 aid levels and the City budgeted $1,890,000. In March 2009, a new aid formula based on the host county’s poverty rate was created by Governor Paterson and the leadership of the State legislature. Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County are the */only/* host municipality and county to now receive zero VLT aid. As such, $135 million net win produced by the Saratoga facility was all returned back to the State coffers.
“We now have to shoulder the cost of increased services for a group of patrons who only visit for the day, without any assistance from the State,” Commissioner Ivins continued. “Raceway visitors spend money only there. They do not visit our downtown to increase our sales tax revenue or stay long enough to affect our occupancy tax to offset the cost of their visit.”
The VLT aid previously received by the City represents approximately *10% *of the City’s general fund budget and *25%* of property tax collection.
###
*/Attachment: Copy of letter to Congressman Murphy and Senator Gillibrand/*
posted by The Saratogian City Desk at
2:03 PM
4 Comments:
Ivins is frantically trying to make up for lost time. In January, February, and March he and Mayor Johnson utterly failed to do the hard work of lobbying the Governor, the Senate, and the Assembly. As partisan Republicans, they decided they didn't want to be bothered talking to the Democratic leaders in Albany. They refused to follow the example of Democratic Mayor Keehn, who lobbied Republican Governor Pataki and Republican Senate Majority Leader Bruno and succeeded in bringing home $3.8 million in video lottery money.
Now, Ivins has finally woken up to the need to deal with Democratic office holders. Unfortunately, it's too little, too late.
Time for voters to dump Ivins and elect Peter Martin, a Democrat who actually has a chance to get the Dems in Albany to give Saratoga Springs its fair share of video lottery dollars.
Ivins and his coherts on the city council council need to get over chasing VLT funds and their other pie in the sky revenue streams.
They need to concentrate on managing costs so that property tax rates never increase greater than the consumer price index's impact on Social Securities annual cost of living increase. Next year it will be zero.
What a joke! Why the heck didn't Ivins do something before now? It's election time so Ivins is trying to con the electorate into believing he is doing something. He and Johnson should have done something months ago. Vote the bum out!
ivins and the mayor's big mistake was the rec center. period.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home