RALLY to restore the County Budget

Transfered from old site

RALLY to restore the County Budget
 

 
Tuesday, 5pm
 

 
County Building
 

 
39 W. Main Street
 

 
downtown Rochester
 

 
The Doyle "Tax Stability Plan" calls for axing 700 county workers to deal with the $23 million budget shortfall. Programs cuts are being faced in service agencies all over the county- the Lifetime Assistance Sheltered Workshop, School of the Holy Childhood Day Treatment, Action for a Better Community Job Placement, Lifeline, Family Services of Rochester Adoption, Child Sexual Abuse Prevention, Oasis Drug Free Residential Program, Rochester Mental Health Center Outpatient Clinic, Youth Bureau, Office for the Aging. Arts and education organizations like Rochester Museum and Science Center, Memorial Art Gallery, Monroe County Library, Geva Theater, Genesee Country Village and Museum all face massive cuts. The Women’s Film Festival will lose all county funding. The Health Department will eliminate the Bureau of Environmental Quality. Cornell Cooperative Extension will close its doors. The Assigned Counsel program will be eliminated. All parks will be closed on weekdays (well, not all parks-- Doyle’s keeping the golf course open). The lines at DSS will get even longer and service will get even worse as caseloads expand past the point of triage. The deep cuts leave our preventive services in bad shape. Forget about fixing potholes next year.
 

 
Most of us know somebody affected by the cuts. The magnitude is tremendous. But Doyle saw it coming for months, maybe a year.
 

 
Many people wonder if this is a political ploy to create political support for a property tax raise. Some folks say that Doyle is lining up a .5% sales tax increase, which would soak working families but protect rich contributors to the local GOP. But Doyle is a true believer, and this is an opportunity to shrink government, cut services and privatize.
 

 
We could cover this year’s budget shortfall easily. There are 250,000 properties assessed taxes by the County. Twenty three million dollars is less than $8/month for each property. And that’s if we split it evenly. If we raise property taxes with a simple (albeit regressive) flat tax, those of us with lower assessed houses pay less and those who can afford it pay more. If we consider raising the hotel room occupancy tax and charges for services then that $8 could get lower. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT POCKET CHANGE! -(and that’s not even taking into consideration the millions COMIDA gives away in "corporate incentives."). Keep in mind that since 1992 the tax rate has gone down every year for the past ten years (as more houses get built each taxpayer’s burden goes down).
 

 
Of course next year’s budget shortfall would requires an additional 30% increase in taxes. To close the gap for both years would mean a tax increase of $20/month for a $100,000 house. If your house is assessed at a lower value you would pay less.
 

 
But revenue restoration (a tax increase) isn't even on the table.
 

 
-Jon Greenbaum, Organizer, Metro Justice