Town Highway/Village DPW Merger Analysis

The Saugerties Town & Village officials will continue to meet to discuss the potential merger of highway departments.  But, will this potential merger help ALL the taxpayers of the town (unlike the police merger)?

According to my analysis (to view click here) a merger of the two departments can benefit both village and town residents under the following scenarios:

• Combined personnel costs are reduced by 10% from current levels (NO LAYOFFS!!!); and,
• Current equipment, material, etc. expenses for the Village can be reduced by 25%.

If the above conditions can be met, Village residents will see a 37% property tax savings while highway-related property taxes will remain flat for non-Village residents.  If the merger results in even greater personnel and equipment/materials savings than described above, non-Village residents will actually save money with the potential for increased services!

While there are many details to be worked out, this is a merger that could benefit ALL Saugerties taxpayers provided certain benchmarks are met.  Hopefully, the Town and Village will be able to reach a mutually beneficial agreement (without anyone losing their job) in the near future.  

Ulster Coalition Against Narcotics 2015 Annual Report

http://ulstercountyny.gov/sites/default/files/Final%20Report_0.pdf

$15 Minimum Wage Will Hurt Town of Saugerties

County Executive Mike Hein is advocating for a $15 minimum wage for New York State.

Hein is attacking the City of Kingston and towns for not lowering property taxes after the county assumed Safety Net and elections costs.  While he may have a point in this regard, a $15 minimum wage would have a devastating impact on local governments.

For the Town of Saugerties, I estimate the impact of a $15 minimum wage to be well over $100,000.  I do not have numbers for the Summer Recreation Program, but a higher minimum wage will add to the already large annual deficit this program runs.

A higher minimum wage will make it virtually impossible for the town will stay within the tax cap and likely force the town to layoff many part-time/seasonal workers.

It's the height of hypocrisy for Hein to be calling on local governments to spend less while at the same time he's pushing for a massive unfunded mandate to be pushed down their throats!!!