Penny Wise, Dollar Foolish!

by Contributor | May 15, 2020 7:06 pm

Oswego County Legislature has announced a 11 Million Dollar short fall in Revenues for 2020. Oswego County Legislature has announced measures to help deal with the short fall.

During the Legislative monthly meeting Resolutions were voted on that reduced the expenditures by a total of $352,000.   Now anyone that can divide knows that this amount is only 3% of the loss projected by the Legislature.

These pennies won’t stop the inevitability of higher taxes, massive layoffs and reduction in services.

Dollars have to be cut from the expenditures in the County 2020 and 2021 Budgets. Upper Management positions that are not Mandated need to be Cut. Positions like, Deputy Treasure (Only needed in the prolonged Abs. of the Treasure, not need fulltime) Deputy County Clerk in DMV, Supervisor of Supervisors of DMV, Mgr. of Fleet Mgt. .

A reduction in expenditures in the Legislative Accounts is needed. The elimination of perks  such as : Millage Reimbursement, Debit Cards for Medical Costs, NYSAC meeting reimbursement.

A transition back to Legislative pay of 2015 is another Legislative Account expenditure that needs to be addressed.

A reduction in the Legislative Body is required. Onondaga County has over twice the population and Half the Legislature.

During Thursday’s Legislative Meeting One and only One Legislator offered these reductions in an effort to help reduce the amount of Tax increase. That Legislator was Marie Schadt and member of the Democratic Caucus. 

These reductions have been brought forward and requested for almost the past decade. The Democratic Caucus has been warning of the lack of a sufficient fund balance to withstand a prolonged loss of revenue. The Democratic Caucus has requested cuts in the expenditures for almost a decade in hopes to stop a double digit tax increase and a loss of services. They have gone on deaf ears by the Republican Caucus for almost Decade.

Just like the elimination of a 10% payment of the Counties P.I.L.O.T. revenue from the Oswego County IDA which has been asked for sense it’s inception in 2015. It is time for the aforementioned expenditures to be cut also.

Suggested reductions made on the Legislative floor by Legislator Tom Drumm were voted down on party lines.

So the mediocre reductions brought forth and voted on by the Legislature are mere pennies in a time when Dollars need to be cut.

Thus, Penny Wise Dollar Foolish.

Call your Legislator and advise him or her that these cuts need to be accomplished to lighten the tax hike that is coming.

We will never be able to make enough cuts to equal a $11 million dollar shortfall in Revenue but we can put a big dent in it. Saving Jobs and Taxes.

– Frank Castiglia jr.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/penny-wise-dollar-foolish/

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