Share This On Facebook| Steinhaus says lawmakers have “basic lack of understanding” over Dutchess RRA management |
| POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus went head to head with the county legislature again, this time over the position of county solid waste commissioner and the county’s resource recovery agency.Legislator James Miccio had written to him seeking appointment of a commissioner. Steinhaus fired back in a Friday, February 4 letter obtained by MidHudsonNews.com that the county charter does not say the commissioner provides oversight of RRA operations and finances. “If that is the expectation of you or the current legislature, there is a basic lack of understanding of the structure of the agency as designed by the legislature when it was created and adopted the original enabling legislation for the RRA decades ago.”Steinhaus told Miccio the legislature should “do what you have failed to do in the last two annual budget cycles – appropriate the resources necessary in the 2011 adopted budget to fully staff a solid waste department.” |
On April 2, 2011, By James R
On March 11, 2011, By James R
Assembly Democrats are drafting a budget plan to be introduced next week with an actual millionaire’s tax, meaning that people at seven figures of income and above would be assessed an additional surcharge above the rest of taxpayers, an elected official said Thursday.
The one-house measure would add at least a point to the 6.85 rate paid by other taxpayers but enough to raise about $700 million this year to help fund public education spending goals of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s conference. Details have not been made public, but Silver’s members believe the idea will have some appeal within the GOP-controlled Senate.
The current, so-called millionaire’s tax that is set to expire at month’s end actually has been triggered once a single taxpayer reached $200,000 in taxable income. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is eager to bid it goodbye and does not want to replace it with a substitute income tax surcharge on the wealthy.
On March 5, 2011, By James R
NYSAC Testifies on Property Tax Cap
On Tuesday, NYSAC President William Ryan and Executive Director Stephen Acquario testified before several NYS Assembly Committees at a public hearing on the proposed property tax cap. The committees holding the hearing included: Ways and Means, Education, Real Property Taxation, Local Governments, and Cities.
The testimony highlighted the fact that the property tax cap proposal fails to recognize that county property taxes are driven by decisions at the State level. In fact, 9 State mandates consume 90 percent of the county property tax levy statewide. Without that significant mandate relief, a well-intentioned property tax cap will have unintended but severe consequences in terms of economic growth and human services in the State.
The testimony also identified technical challenges with the legislation that should be worked out before it is adopted by both houses of the State Legislature. These technical challenges include:
· the requirement that the State Comptroller define each local government’s levy and allowable growth, a process that usually takes place on a two year lag;
· the removal of voter approved capital projects or expenditures from the cap, since counties do not hold referendums on capital plans;
· the treatment of PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) agreements, that are a primary economic tool for counties;
· the lack of accommodating natural growth in residential property developments or the economic base of a community;
· the inability to lower taxes; and
· the lack of consensus on the process of overriding the cap.
NYSAC stressed that counties want to be partners with the State in lowering property taxes and ending New York State’s reputation as one of the highest-taxed states in the Nation, but that it must be done in a way that does not continue or strengthen the unsustainable nature of the State-county relationship.
Dutchess County Legislator the Honorable James R. Doxsey District 1 is pressing NYSAC members to Repeal the Stock Transfer Tax Amendment.
James Doxsey says: ” While I can not stress enough the importance of implementing a Repeal of the Stock Transfer Tax Legislation that Governor Carey changed in 1979, this SIMPLE Act will produce approximately 16 BILLION Dollars to offset our Defecit in New York alone. Enacting this Simple piece of Legislation will relieve the burdens placed on New Yorker Taxpayers for a multitude of years to come “.
” Nobody properly understands this Amendment that Governor Carey has done. Simply give back to New York State the NICKEL ($.05) as it was written in 1905. It’s that simple ” !
On February 5, 2011, By James R
| Steinhaus says lawmakers have “basic lack of understanding” over Dutchess RRA management |
| POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus went head to head with the county legislature again, this time over the position of county solid waste commissioner and the county’s resource recovery agency.Legislator James Miccio had written to him seeking appointment of a commissioner. Steinhaus fired back in a Friday, February 4 letter obtained by MidHudsonNews.com that the county charter does not say the commissioner provides oversight of RRA operations and finances. “If that is the expectation of you or the current legislature, there is a basic lack of understanding of the structure of the agency as designed by the legislature when it was created and adopted the original enabling legislation for the RRA decades ago.”Steinhaus told Miccio the legislature should “do what you have failed to do in the last two annual budget cycles – appropriate the resources necessary in the 2011 adopted budget to fully staff a solid waste department.”
On September 14, 2010, By James R Valley Views: Finally, problems at RRA taken seriously
SANDY GOLDBERG * SEPTEMBER 14, 2010/ See www.doxseydistrict1.com , Archives in September 2010 for complete History and what the County Executive Steinhaus wants and what he is now saying DURING HIS ELECTION Year.
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On January 28, 2011, By James R
Dear Mr. Doxsey,
Thank you for your recent appearance on “Joy in our Town.” It was a pleasure meeting you and having you on the program. The information that you shared will be very useful to our viewers. I will get a DVD copy of the program in the mail to you as soon as it’s edited.
The program that you appeared on is scheduled to air on Monday, March 14th at 11:30am and Friday, March 18th at 1:00pm.
Our local programming is broadcast on Time Warner Cable Ch. 98, Cablevision Ch. 134 and Digital TV Ch. 27 in the New York City Area. In the Hudson Valley, our local feed is on Time Warner Cable Ch. 12.
County Emergency Services was discussed along with some on Fairview and Issues we the residents face and struggle with on a constant basis..
On December 29, 2010, By James R
Where is the Countys’ Financial State of Affairs? Well, lets see: The Executive says we are broke and will most likely need to BORROW money to pay bills. The Comptroller has gone back to 2005 and FOUND multiples of MILLIONS of Taxpayers Dollars not placed back into the coffers. So as a Legislator of District 1, Representing those same Taxpayers, we all would like to know.
The Memos should be actual CONVERSATIONS, the Finance Commissioner has RARELY ever given a straight answer. For over the last 4 years of Comptroller Jablonski and now Comptroller Coughlins statements of the Countys’ Financial Affairs, it appears a continued CONFLICT with the Executive Office.
Hows is it possible since 2005 this money has not been placed BACK into the Coffers?
Are we broke? I have been following the REPORTS for a period since May of 2007, I can still NOT get how a FLUID Budget can’t be Accounted for., can you? Maybe the Executive will find MORE money for his Re-Election? Time will tell.
On December 29, 2010, By James R
On December 29, 2010, By James R
On December 29, 2010, By James R
On December 17, 2010, By James R
| Dutchess legislature ends 2010 with a hike in LOOP fares |
| POUGHKEEPSIE – A ticket to ride on the Dutchess County LOOP bus will go up 250 percent, for Dial-A-Ride users, on January 1. That was one of the actions taken during a brief end-of-year meeting for the County Legislature.
Democrat Joel Tyner was one of a handful of legislators to oppose the fare hike. “The last time I checked, wages for Dutchess County residents have not gone up 350 percent. I think a lot of us are aware that that wages have been frozen. A lot of have lost their jobs and I cannot support a 350 percent increase in the standard fare for the Dial-A-Ride.” The Dial-A-Ride fare is actually going up 250 percent, from $1, to 3.50. The senior fare will remain at $1. No one spoke during a public hearing on the LOOP fares. The legislature also set tax levies for the cities, villages and special districts. Under the 2011 budget, adopted during a marathon session last week, the tax levy does not change. The final meeting agenda was simplified somewhat when County Executive William Steinhaus announced, Wednesday, that he would not veto any lines of the 2011 budget, so no override discussion was needed. |
Town of Poughkeepsie Democrats
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