Mar. 3—Anticipating continued depressed revenue sources such as real property taxes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Rick Blangiardi needed to fill a $73 million hole in the city's budget. He proposed a $2.9 billion operating budget with no tax increases or furloughs. The budget, which would begin July 1, includes cost-saving measures such as deferring a $139.7 million contribution to .
BEECH MOUNTAIN â Beech Mountain Town Council discussed potential changes to town departments in order to better serve the townâs growing population during its Tuesday, Feb. 9 monthly meeting.
Public comments submitted to the council included one from local businessman Mike Boston, who expressed his concern over the way an employee at the townâs convenience center has been treated since he started enforcing the townâs new policy that requires people dropping off their trash to have a tag displayed in their vehicle in order to access the convenience center.
âWithin a total of five minutes apart, I witnessed the rudest behavior Iâd seen in quite a while. I asked (the employee), who was tearful/visibly upset, how often this happens, and he said many times a day,â Boston stated.
Virtual budget hearing held in Whitefield
Selectman Stan Holz reviewed the budget handout. It appeared as follows:
General Government: 2020 Appropriation: $612,056; 2020 Expended: $480,188 and the request for 2021: $554,763, a decrease of $57,293.
Public Safety: 2020 Appropriation: $921,155; 2020 Expended: $888,494; and the request for 2021 is $982,609, an increase of $61,454.
Holz noted that there is a $30,000 increase for regional dispatching services for the police and fire-rescue departments.
Highways, Streets, Bridges, & Sanitation: 2020 Appropriation: 998,399; Expended: 932,816 and the request for 2021: $1,032,677, a $34,278 increase.
Health & Welfare: 2020 Appropriation: $23,654; Expended: $14,950 and the request for 2021 is $26,806, an increase of $3,152.
Holz pointed out that the increase is for an increase in the Health Officer s salary and a line item for health officer supplies.
Fingerlakes1.com
Menu
Police Reform Board Not Among Council’s Top Priorities
Geneva City Council set its top three 2021 priorities during its annual retreat Saturday, February 13, 2021. Although the Geneva Police Reform Board (PRB) dominated Council activities during 2020 and caused conflict amongst Councilors, the PRB was not included in Council’s top priorities for 2021. In fact, only two of the nine Councilors, Ken Camera (Ward 4) and Laura Salamendra (Ward 5), included the PRB in their top three priorities for the upcoming year.
At the outset of the meeting, Council went through a brainstorming exercise that created the menu of items they could select from as their top three priorities. Councilors were able to select from:
Fingerlakes1.com
Menu Search for:
Todd covers local government in the Finger Lakes. He has a JD degree the Lincoln Law School of Sacramento. Send tips to todd@fingerlakes1.com.
Geneva City Manager Sage Gerling and Assistant City Manager Adam Blowers presented the City’s annual State of the City address Wednesday, February 10. Gerling and Blowers presented an upbeat message that focused on the City’s successes during a challenging 2020.
Afterward, Council predominantly ignored the successes of City Staff touted by Gerling and Blowers and instead focused primarily on negatives. Some of the issues raised by Council did not even relate to the State of the City presentation, such as Councilor Ken Camera (Ward 4) challenging legal opinions offered by the law firm Hancock Estabrook, LLP during the Police Reform Board (PRB) process.