SALES TAX RICH! 

by Contributor | October 16, 2025 10:49 am

Recently the City of Fulton Mayor was looking to sign a contract to fund the recent reborn Fire Marshal position in the City of Fulton. 

Now the Mayor has made mention of receiving a bonus in our sales tax revenue given to the city from the County. 

Made mention that the city had received $40,000 more than he had budgeted for in the 2025 budget. He also had mentioned he would use that to pay the salary of the Fire Marshal.  

In that 2025 budget he had shown revenue of $80,000 from Cannabis sales in the City of Fulton. As of the last check on the revenue from the sale it appears that the city will come up almost $20,000 below the projected revenue. 

So, let’s do elementary school math here. 

Gained $40,000, lost $20,000, equals a net gain of $20,000, cost of the Fire Marshel job, is $35,000. Making a net loss of $15,000 at least. 

How do you make up the loss, Taxes, that’s right your real property taxes. 

Now the job that the Fire Marshal performs is done in the City of Oswego by its codes department. As it should be in the City of Fulton. 

Now the job being performed by the Fire Marshal in good and it does add to the revenue. However, the revenue doesn’t even come close to the cost being paid to the Fire Marshal. Now in the business world, if your costs aren’t covered by your revenue. You stop the process. That isn’t the case in Government. That is the reason for this saying “It isn’t that the taxpayer are taxed to little, it’s that Government spends too much”. 

The City of Fulton should take any unexpected increase in Sales tax money and put it into the General fund to help pay for any unexpected costs this winter or next spring! 

Now if everyone is happy with these increases and increasing the city payroll, then come and speak at the next meeting, and I mean people that live inside the city, if you are unhappy with these increases come and speak now before it’s too late! 

Frank Castiglia 

City taxpayer 

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/sales-tax-rich/

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