Author Topic: Are Fairport Officials Out of Touch with Reality? (Read 147 times)

Michael Caswell · « **on:** April 25, 2020, 05:35:28 am »

In a recent correspondence with the Village Mayor and Trustees, the ECNA asked them to reconsider their recent tax hike due to the crisis we are in.

It was mentioned that many people in Monroe County are dying from COVID-19, that there was a school budget foisted on the residents by a very dubious election process, where only 2000 people voted for a $60,000,000 budget out of 40,000+ residents, for many things we could well cope without. The Town Of Perinton had reassessed property values with an enormous hike.

We cited that most businesses were closed, most people were out of work, many businesses would never recover, many jobs would be lost forever.
23% of our school children were registered as living below the poverty line, which entitled them to free school dinners.

We mentioned the outcry in the village of Sweden

To Mayor Domaritz

I hope you can reconsider your tax hike.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52312366

It would be interesting to find our how many residents here are actually unemployed, and how many businesses that have closed are concerned their future is dark.

https://amp.whec.com/articles/tremendous-outcry-over-reassessment-in-town-of-sweden-5708270.html

Just to remind you, we're THE HIGHEST taxed village on the canal! I hope you can change your mind about this hike.

Our new Mayor's response?

"Thank you for your feedback!"

The response was immediate, and she could not have even bothered to read the links we provided. They were dismissed out of hand. Obviously our Mayor and Trustees don't seem to understand what a slap in the face this tax hike is to us. Talk about hitting someone when they are down!

Surely, they could have made savings, or changes to reflect current community issues? Surely they could have at least stalled off this small hike.

With our taxes already at 2-4 times the rate of our neighboring villages, and the hike averaging some $25-50 per property, one has to wonder whose side they are on. Certainly not the residents of Fairport, they are totally out of touch with the reality they are placing on the Fairport Village Taxpayers .

We can't stand any more taxes...please stop.

Are Fairport Officials Out of Touch with Reality?

Doug K · « **Reply #1 on:** April 25, 2020, 09:20:32 am »

The issues with local Village government aren't about the cost as much as where that money goes...right into salaries.

Now the Village OFFICIALS will tell you it's a necessary part of having the Village, except the same type of Government exists right in the Town of Perinton which can do the same job for Fairport it does for Perinton. And FAIRPORT VILLAGE taxpayers, well they already pay for that Town Government, right along with the rest of the residents of Perinton. Are you not sure why TWO local villages governments are needed? We are wondering that too.

Even the Village Budget page that explains the 2.39% increase to Village Residents shows where the bulk of the budget increase will go... Village Personnel.

And what would anyone expect to happen when you have Personnel & Overall Village Departments spending taxpayer dollars at these rates for public service salaries & employees.

Village trustees $97,474
Village Justice $67,935
Central Garage $143.447
Info technology $132,198
Village Clerk/Treasurer $245,950
Code enforcement $123,791
Historical Preservation $17,092
Village Police $1,218,944
Fire dept $237,777
Health Insurance $571,580
NYS Retirement $434,700
Other $581,742

And what could be worse you ask?

The Village Government/Board & Clerk Treasurer, PASS a Village Budget EVERY YEAR, with little to no input from Village Residents who cannot VOTE on this. It's made up to keep these people in jobs... that's it in a nutshell.

Village Budgets pass because the people who benefit MOST from these MILLIONS of dollars simply say "Aye" at a Village Board Meeting

Go look at the "proposed" Fairport Village Budget yourself...just to see how much they try to justify the increase and the overall amount. It's a bit hard to find buried in the Ecode360 Town Code section of the Village website. Compare this to most village budgets which are just a series of tables and figures

https://ecode360.com/documents/FA0327/public/535054521.pdf

And here's how the Fairport Village Government compares to other similar bodies according to Government Salaries website

And if you thought that was bad?

Look at the Fairport Village Plan that is still in place from 2007 and was last reviewed in 2012. It's an old NY village, working to an old village plan, that may not make sense anymore.

https://ecode360.com/documents/FA0327/public/250055810.pdf

If you haven't figured it out yet, Village Taxpayers don't support a "Village Government" they support a COMPANY paid for with Village Residents Tax Dollars...

https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.village_of_fairport.82bc14efc112c12e214c2b4443806210.html

The old Village Plan and the INCREASED Village Budget, none of this matters, as long as Village Officials can manipulate the public (and the budget numbers) to insure they keep their jobs, and their friend's jobs, and the Fairport Village "company" working... paying their way at taxpayer expense.

Wake up Fairport, your Village Government is broken, and the Town Government can help...but only if you make it happen.

https://ecna.us/grace/fairport-village-reorganization/

Or Village Residents can keep paying the $18950 it costs PER DAY, to keep the FAIRPORT Village Government up and running, picking your pocket every year to maintain jobs for 88 people, pay their healthcare, subsidize their "company trips" and help them in their retirement years.

After all.. it's Village Government... the Community GIFT that keeps on giving... and giving...and giving.

Michael Caswell · « **Reply #2 on:** April 25, 2020, 11:20:23 am »

Brockport has 50% more people than Fairport and runs at 15% less cost, with about 25% more land to manage.

Something is wrong with Fairport!

The GRACE Law was designed exactly to address villages that have lost touch with reality - like Fairport.

Doug K · « **Reply #3 on:** April 28, 2020, 11:40:44 am »

If you want any more proof that Fairport Village, like most Village Governments, are avoiding the "truth" about costly Village Government look no further than this graph below.

What you see is the cost comparisons of having local Governments "manage" spaces... and what's inside those spaces.

Both types of governments have buildings and employees, both have a main leader and governing boards to direct work. Each government can build their workforce the way they see fit to manage their needs.

Taxpayer in the Towns & Villages pay for BOTH governments in some way, shape, or form but the ratio of support changes based on location. Village folks pay for Village Government more than Town residents give, and Town residents pay for government support to provide resources in their Towns more than the Village residents do.

But each group uses both Town & Village resources and "space" in similar ways. The Town Government space can be larger, which in NY State most seem to be in the 30-40 square mile range. The Village Government space is normally smaller, and these range from 1-4 square miles normally. But each space pretty much gets the same work done, by people with similar skill sets, yet the Annual Operational Cost for the VILLAGE compared to the Town by space is extremely lopsided.

So if you were HIRING a business that managed land, cleaning it, moving snow, picking up refuse like branch/leaf debris & spring clean-ups and the like, would you want to pay MORE of LESS for that work?

Would you look for the company or business that can provide the work needed at a higher cost or one that was lower for the same list of work that needed to be done? Would you want a business that catered more to the needs of a few select local businesses or one that treated local residents equally & fairly?

Local Government IS a BUSINESS, it's supported with sales of water, collection of wastewater & processing fees, and also in some cases a Village might sell electricity to help defer it's overall operating expenses. By far the BIGGEST contribution to local government is in TAXES that the residents have to pay.

From what we can see... Village Residents are being treated very unfairly if you look at what is being offered, who is ACTUALLY using that Village, and how efficiently each local government is getting it's necessary work done.

Town people should pay more for having and using their local Village, and the Village folks should give more to support Town spaces, after all, that's where Wal-mart's & Wegman's are located. This arrangement is obviously NOT fair to Village residents who are paying MILLIONS for keeping a few square miles of land in order, when Town residents are paying in hundreds of thousand per square mile range?

Isn't it time to Reorganize our Local Governments to better serve the people of these Towns & Villages and NOT the local government leaders who can't agree how best to serve their taxpaying base?

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Author Topic: Are Fairport Officials Out of Touch with Reality? (Read 147 times)

Michael Caswell

Are Fairport Officials Out of Touch with Reality?

Doug K

Fairport Village Budget is about salaries, not the community

Michael Caswell

Re: Are Fairport Officials Out of Touch with Reality?

Doug K

All Town & Village Leadership is out of Touch with Reality...