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Post by gopybl on Apr 23, 2006 19:50:24 GMT -5
Ed --- As usual I defer to your Financial wizardry....you are completely amazing. I think its safe to say that a tax levy increase of 8.56% during a recovery process represents a fair and reasonable budget....This confirms my initial thoughts regarding the budget even more....Hop in the Vote Yes Train....Lets get this district on the way to full recovery...Thanks again Ed.
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Post by devilsrus on Apr 23, 2006 19:52:43 GMT -5
Good evening Facts, Didn't mean to strike a nerve. I believe that if you review my posts you might find reference to frozen wages or entry level employees. I work for a living like everyone else. I have a mortage like any one else. I have kids in the District. I am merely pointing out that for less than the price of a pack of cigarettes, less than the price of a cup of coffee or for the cost of two newspapers a day we didn't have what we all thought came with living here. No Attack on you "Facts"; you have been in the forefront Its all about accountability on the part of the BOE. But there is no dening: vote YES or no Taxes will go up. AS you have so correctly brought to the table its a question of how and where the money is spent and gettting it spent correctly. Lets make sure the kids get their fair share CPR
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Post by justfacts on Apr 24, 2006 6:59:09 GMT -5
gopybl Yes! Isn't it amazing that once all is said and done, once we get past the percentage highlights that one side or another may resort to to emphasize their point, that the bottom line in dollars and cents is something more reasonable? These exaggerations used to incite to make a point are probably our greatest weakness. Points can and should be made on their own merit. This is what we'll have to be careful about in making the budgets of the future. The budgets that will give the children their fair share - plus those that will be adding new progressive educational tools into them. Some may object to the added costs of new programs without fairly weighing the benefits to the children against these costs. Then they may again resort to exaggerations. Ed It's all over but the shouting! Let's get on with the task - making sure the budget is spent mostly on the children!
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Post by justfacts on Apr 24, 2006 8:03:04 GMT -5
I guess I should clarify what I meant by "percentage highlights" in that last post. It did not refer to gopybl's use of an 8.56% reference in his post as an indication of percentage highlights. Rather it refers to someone using the comparison of a hike from 10 cents to 12 cents, being a 20% hike - and trying to equate that to a hike from a $60 Million Budget to a $72 Million Budget. Again the being a 20% hike. There is little to compare between a 2 cent increase and a $12 Million increase! Yet, several Budget items this year, as in year's past, seemed to want to "justify" their being fair because they were under a double digit percentage hike. Nothing was further from the truth with many of these items. For instance, one of the comparison bases was a few of this budget's items against the Budget of 2004/2005. What was not too evident is that the base budget used of 2004/5 was $620,00 higher than what the voters approved! It was a "kited" figure! This brought increases in some items down from 10% plus to just under 10%! Game playing with numbers presented to the public should not be tolerated! There were several other shifts in categories to load the budget comparisons with just under 10% increase figures for individual items - which was a clue as to the manipulations that were going on. Ed ;D Reading a Budget is more than just looking at numbers!
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Post by justfacts on Apr 27, 2006 8:31:50 GMT -5
Here's some late breaking news of the rebate checks!Be careful when reading this. Although not stated - this covers the STAR PLUS program that I spoke of in an earlier post. That's the one Pataki instituted - if - and only if - the School District kept their spending at a capped value (Contingency Budget level).The Legislators tried to generalize on that option and to make the $400 rebate for everyone (in addition to the direct STAR check going to every home) Pataki said it was unconstitutional and would take it to court. Well, that now has happened.
Too bad the newspaper reports don't make this whole topic clearer - as written, the article could have people confused over which rebate check is which! Are they getting any at all, or not!*******************************************-------------------- Rebate checks not quite in the mail -------------------- BY LAUREN WEBER, Newsday Albany Bureau, April 27, 2006 ALBANY -- Senate Republicans had hoped to throw voters a little sugar to sweeten a tough election season this year. But Gov. George Pataki's earlier veto of the Senate's No. 1 priority -- property tax rebates averaging $400 per household -- combined with the Senate's override of that veto yesterday, throws the timing and possibly the very existence of the rebates into limbo.Citing constitutional conflicts, Pataki said the rebates "are not going to be a part of the budget as finally enacted after the overrides."Sen. Joseph Bruno, an upstate Republican, said he would try to find another way to drive the rebates through. "There are many ways to get the money out the door," he said, suggesting a single-appropriation bill as one avenue. Another possibility legislators are considering: taking the governor to court in what could become a protracted battle, delaying the rebate checks for months or even years.That would crimp senators' hopes of getting the refunds into voters' hands by Nov. 7. A report released yesterday by state Comptroller Alan Hevesi noted that New Yorkers' property tax bills exceed the national average by 49 percent. According to Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), this is "not just about Election Day. October is when voters and taxpayers get their property tax bills. Around that time of year, it's important to get the checks to them so they can get their taxes paid." If the governor and legislators arrive at a compromise, the check processing would be relatively quick. The rebates are based on data that are already stored in state computers. Then it's just a matter of printing and mailing checks to about 3 million households. Copyright (c) 2006, Newsday, Inc. *************************************************As noted in an earlier post - It is a wise person that doesn't spend the money until AFTER it is in their hands! Those that have - may now have to scrape up some dough!Let's forget about money that doesn't come into the District itself and off the tax bill. And let's stop trying to convince others that it reduces costs - let the people decide how to spend the money that is mailed to them and not under District Budget control! Let's stop this falsehood of trying to spend it for them.Ed On to the task at hand - getting most of the Budget money into the children's part of the Budget.
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