Proposed budgets for Albany and Troy, 11-year-old dies trying to stop van, Schenectady getting aggressive about traffic fines, prosthetic paw for puppy

Jerry Jennings' proposed 2013 budget for the city of Albany doesn't increase the property tax levy -- but the residential tax rate will increase 3 percent. The budget also relies on a $7.85 million advance from the state on payments for the Empire State Plaza. Said Common Council president Carolyn McLaughlin of the advance: "Although in the past [the mayor's] been very successful at securing those funds for us, we have to go forward recognizing 'what do we do if we don't get it?'" The overall budget total is up about $2 million compared to last year, much of that in increased pension costs. [City of Albany] [News10] [TU] [YNN] [Fox23]

Lou Rosamilia's proposed 2013 budget for the city of Troy would increase property taxes by 2 percent. It would also reduce the city's fund balance to $415,000. The overall budget total is up 1.7 percent compared to last year. [City of Troy] [TU] [Troy Record] [City of Troy]

The Schenectady County legislature approved an override of the tax cap, and the county manager proposed a budget that includes a 7.49 percent property tax increase. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

After the death of its longtime treasurer, the governing body for Capital Region high school sports isn't sure whether it's filed a tax return in more than 30 years. [TU]

State Police say an 11-year-old died Monday afternoon in Ballston after he tried to stop a van from rolling into a road. They say Lane Rowe saw the van -- with three children inside and no driver -- start rolling backwards down an inclined driveway and he got behind it in an effort to stop it. He was pushed to the ground and the van came to a stop on him. State Police say the boy was pronounced dead at the scene. [YNN] [Daily Gazette] [Fox23] [Saratogian]

Opponents of the proposed 45-percent Thruway toll increase for trucks are hoping delayed action on the increase is a signal that it's being reformulated. [TU]

A study from two Fed economists: the number of jobs in upstate New York is increasing for high and low-skilled workers -- and workers in the middle are getting crunched. [TU]

"I suffocated Avery with my hand," said Robert Hayden while entering his guilty plea as part of a plea deal in the death of a toddler in Troy earlier this year. Hayden was supposed to have been watching the child, and told police he had put his hand over the child's mouth to stop him from crying. [TU] [News10]

Glenville's proposed budget includes a 3.4 percent tax levy increase, which is within the rules of the cap. [Daily Gazette]

Gary McCarthy says the city of Schenectady is planning "aggressive" measures to increase enforcement of traffic ticket fines and collect the $2.3 million the city is owed. [Daily Gazette]

Following the recently manhole explosions, Jerry Jennings has asked National Grid for a more detailed assessment of the condition of its underground electrical equipment in downtown Albany. [YNN]

The city of Albany and Historic Albany are at odds over whether two buildings demolished Monday could/would have been saved (map). [TU]

The "yes, it can be"/"no, it can't be" on whether the Winans-Crippen House in Saratoga Springs should be preserved or torn down continues. [Daily Gazette]

Starting in April 2013, smoking will be banned in Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority complexes -- even in tenants' apartments. [Daily Gazette]

Two Albany-based attorneys won a $100 million verdict in a medical malpractice case in Oneonta. (Huge award totals reached by juries in med mal cases are often reduced judges.) [TU]

Photographers working for Google will be in the area later this month taking interior images of stores -- like StreetView, but for interiors. [TU]

One of the puppies abandoned on railroad tracks last month is being fitted for a prosthetic paw. [TU]

A barber who's been cutting hair for 65 years at a shop in Schenectady's Mont Pleasant neighborhood has retired. [Marv Cermak]

Comments

For pete's sake, could the City of Albany make its way into the 1990s already and print the budget directly to pdf instead of scanning it on what I can only assume is the first scanner ever made?! I shouldn't have to read a document that looks like that in 2012 - it's basically an instant migraine! Then again, it may be a deliberate ploy to get us to NOT read it...

Beth

Until very recently the only way to get a copy of the budget was to go to the library and get a hard copy. This was a few years ago. Mayor Jennings and his team don't like to rush into anything. Which is why they will ask for four more years to "complete the job" when next year's election rolls around.

And since you are in a very small minority of people who actually read the budget, he probably will get four more years.
A full 10% of this budget is one time borrowing or cash reserves. There is a $17 million structural deficit in this budget. If they had to just use cash on hand to fill that, they would have $0 left over (and the $17 million deficit would still be there next year but there would be no cash to fill the hole). But voters don't seem to know this and certainly don't care. At least not a majority. So we borrow from the future and kick the can down the road. And odds are your common council representative will vote yes on this budget. Almost all of them do every year.

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