City to start budget hearings next week

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

September 21, 2008

By JOE LoTEMPLIO The Press Republican Sun Sep 21, 2008, 06:54 AM EDT

"It is not going to be an easy year, that's for sure," said Councilor James Calnon (I-Ward 4), who as mayor pro tem serves as budget officer.

The council will host budget hearings at City Hall starting next week department by department. Each department head has submitted their spending plans for 2009 in recent weeks.

"The department heads will come in and tell us about their budgets and hopefully where they think they can find some savings," Calnon said.

Calnon said operating costs so far appear to be down about $120,000, but there are other big costs still looming.

The city is facing the loss of about $850,000 from an agreement with Saranac Power Partners, formerly known as Falcon Seaboard, that is about to end, and it owes about $860,000 in debt service for mandated projects.

"We're about $1.7 million in the hole to start with and that amounts to a 21.5-percent tax increase," Calnon said.

While costs continue to rise, Calnon said, he hopes the city's revenue picture is brightened by increasing county sales tax and state aid.

"We are facing some serious issues, and we will have to see what we can do about things that we can control," he said.

The budget work sessions will go until the end of the month. Calnon said he hopes the council can come up with a final plan by December.

Typically, the mayor submits a budget to the council by Oct. 1, and then the council has until Jan. 15 to adopt it.

This year, Mayor Donald Kasprzak changed the procedure and called for himself and the council to work together throughout the fall on the spending plan.

"Difficult times call for difficult measures, and the next three weeks and then some, will be very challenging," the mayor said.

jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com

City of Plattsburgh Budget Session

Monday, Sept. 22:
5 p.m. City Clerk
5:30 p.m. Fire Department
7 p.m. Environmental Engineering

Tuesday, Sept. 23:
5 p.m. Public Works
6:30 p.m. Building Inspector

Wednesday, Sept. 24:
5 p.m. Police Department
6:30 p.m. Community Development/Special Assessment District

Thursday, Sept. 25:
4:30 p.m. Recreation
6:30 p.m. Assessment
7 p.m. Engineering/Capital Projects

Monday, Sept. 29:
5 p.m. Finance Department
6:15 p.m. Municipal Lighting Department

Tuesday, Sept. 30:
5 p.m. Library
5:30 p.m. Corporation Counsel

Most hearings will be held in the council chambers, but some will be in the community meeting room next door to the chambers.