"Let the fun begin!" said the mayor at last night's Rec. Center grand opening and open house. I'm not sure if he was talking about tonight's jockey basketball game, the upcoming "Controlled Chaos" professional wrestling event, or this year's city budget process, which could end up resembling an "In Your Face" production in ways previously unthinkable.

Let's just hope the council isn't taking any cues from nearby Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon's campaign. I think this is video from her most recent debate, ouch.



I hope today's article on the event illuminated the questions asked about the new facility posted in comments following the last story. Use of the racquetball court will be $5/hour/city or school district resident and $10/hour/all others.

The answer to why discounted rates apply to both city and Saratoga Springs City School District Residents is still a little hazy without seeing the deed for the property. The city did not have it on file, and I was given a reference number I was told could be brought to the county. I believe the final shot of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was referenced during my conversation in the assessor's office yesterday, but I think we'll manage to get a copy in due time.

I caught up with Public Works Comm. Skip Scirocco today, he said he couldn't make it to the opening because of a previous engagement. He said almost the same thing Dep. Mayor Sutton told me at the event, the city will not look at new hires for the Rec. Center until budget numbers are in next month.

"It's not like I turned my back on that place," he said. "I can't in clear conscience hire two or three people back if at the end of another couple of months I'm going to have to lay them off again."

I asked him about the algae in the Congress Park ponds. He said that the department had applied for a permit from the State Department of Environmental Conservation to treat the water, and that the department could only do so much as far as mechanical removal because there are only two DPW employees maintaining the park.

He said he would be open to letting volunteers do some of the work, but that it would have to be approved by city Risk and Safety and the union. I usually have some time to kill most Fri/Sat; if anyone reading this can get it signed off, I'll put on the waders and skim for a few hours.

He said that the department has calculated that a 10 percent budget reduction would mean 14 or 15 more people would lose their jobs, and restated that he will bring the names of 56 employees who have been let go since Jan 1 to the council table August 3.

"I'm going to have a lot of vehicles to sell because we're not going to have anyone to drive them," he said. New state early retirement incentives were brought up as a budget wild card; he said up to ten department employees may be eligible, some of whom have already expressed interest.

Our conversation took an unexpected turn when he said, "They're making a good case to change the form of government in this city," referring to other council members.

He added that he was "keeping an open mind" on the charter change referendum, which appears to be on a fast track to the ballot in November. I'm not sure if this helps or hurts Saratoga Citizen's campaign, but it is refreshing to hear a sitting council member give some indication that the city might be ready for this type of change.

Do you think the city is doing enough to maximize staff efficiency with future layoffs still looming?