Maureen Nolan of the Syracuse Post-Standard reports - “Department heads from the Syracuse school district and City Hall have been meeting to find ways to consolidate information technology, financial and facilities operations, Superintendent Daniel Lowengard said tonight.

If there are saving to be found, they probably won’t be realized in time to help close the district’s projected budget gap next year of roughly $18 million, Lowengard said. The city faces a formidable gap, too.”

To read more click here.

Judy Rife of the Times Herald-Record writes - “The Metropolitan Transportation Authority moved Tuesday to eliminate more than 1,100 jobs in an ongoing struggle to overcome stubborn deficits.

“This is just the beginning of a comprehensive overhaul of how the MTA does business,” said Jay Walder, the MTA’s chairman. “We will be reducing overtime, consolidating redundant functions and working with suppliers to lower costs.”

Walder described the layoffs as “extremely painful,” but a necessary element of the MTA starting to live within its means. The proposed reductions in transit service — the subject of upcoming public hearings — are another step in that same direction.

The MTA, which revamped its 2010 budget in December to close a sudden $387 million gap, is now facing a new $378 million shortfall.”

To read the rest of the story click here.

Leigh Hornbeck writes in the Times Union - “Schuylerville, Victory Mills and Corinth were founded in 1831, 1849 and 1886, respectively. But each of these historic villages may fade into history by the end in 2011.

There is a push in each community to dissolve their boundaries and do away with village governments. Victory Mills and Schuylerville would become part of the town of Saratoga; Corinth would be part of the town of the same name surrounding it.
Victory Mills Mayor Jim Sullivan ran for office on a dissolution platform. Villagers don’t get much for their tax money, he said.

Three-quarters of village residents’ tax bills go toward paying personnel in the village, Sullivan said. The Department of Public Works does collect trash, but customers pay per bag for the service. The tax rate is $8.50 per $1,000 assessed value and the annual budget is $415,000, Sullivan said. Residents also pay sewer and water bills.

To read more click here.

John Faso on his Times Union City Brights blog once again is promoting a common since approach for lowering the burden taxpayer’s face in the current economic crisis - One that would keep needed public employees working and freeze current spending.

“I surveyed the six Columbia County school districts and learned that they are due to pay over $3 million in raises this year to school employees. County government employees are due another $1 million. I suggested that raises should be deferred until the financial situation stabilizes. Moreover, I called for consolidation of the administrative structures of the six districts as a means of promoting efficiency and saving money for taxpayers.

Readers of this blog will recall that I proposed last December that the state legislature enact a fiscal emergency statute authorizing a state-wide salary freeze for all public workers. This would save an estimated $2 to $2.5 billion. ( I earlier projected this as high as $3 billion, but the lower number is a safer estimate).’

To read more from John’s blog click here.

In this Times Union editorial they take a closer look at how Cohoes and Watervliet could share some services and save tax payer dollars.

“Here’s a word we’re glad to add to the vocabulary to describe an economic climate that has government revenues down, municipalities struggling to maintain services and taxpayers bracing for being asked to pay more.

It’s opportunity. Put that in the lexicon of hard times, along with such standbys as unemployment, layoffs, recession and crisis.

Here’s Cohoes Mayor John McDonald, seizing the chance to further study the consolidation of services with Watervliet, a neighboring riverfront city with similar demographics and similar challenges.

The cities are using a $45,000 grant from the state to explore merging their fire departments. It’s a small step for those small cities yet a very welcome start. An opportunity, as Mr. McDonald says.

To read more click here.

Doug Schneider and Joseph Spector report on Pressconnects.com - “New York’s unemployment might be at near-record levels, but the number of state workers earning six-figure incomes continues to grow significantly and reached a record level last year.

More than 23,000 state employees - including hundreds in the Southern Tier - were paid more than $100,000 in 2009. In a year when unemployment figures hovered near double digits and a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit loomed, the number of six-figure earners on the state payroll increased by 16 percent after jumping 28 percent the previous year.”

To read more click here.

The Business Council of New York State, Inc. is supporting Gov. David Paterson’s call for agency mergers and streamlining of state government.

Governor David A. Paterson today announced a series of State agency and public authority mergers and consolidations, as well as actions identified by his Office of Taxpayer Accountability, which he will advance in his 2010-11 Executive Budget to save taxpayer dollars. These efforts will help move forward Governor Paterson’s goal of a restructured and more streamlined State government at a time when difficult cuts are required across every area of State spending to address an historic fiscal crisis.

“In a time of plummeting revenues and limited resources, it is critical to ensure that important State services are delivered in the most cost-effective and efficient manner possible,” Governor Paterson said. “Given the substantial financial difficulties we are facing, significant additional cuts will be necessary in my proposed budget. But the improved efficiencies we are announcing today are another important step forward in our efforts to lower costs and root out waste on behalf of New York’s taxpayers.”

Read the Governor’s release.

“Gov. David Paterson’s plan to streamline state government is an important step to lowering government spending and delivering taxpayers greater value,” said Kenneth Adams, president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State, Inc. “Lowering the cost of government and the taxes required to pay for it is fundamental to allowing the New York economy to grow again so it can create the jobs we desperately need across the state.”

Read The Business Council statement.

Robert Marchant writes on today’s Pressconnects.com -”A plan to share services between towns, villages and cities could save New York municipalities $765 million, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said this week.

DiNapoli said the savings to taxpayers would largely come through sharing “back-office” functions like clerical work, payroll, accounting and human resources. DiNapoli’s office has also put together a list of tips for getting started on shared-service arrangements, contacts for more information and guidelines for best practices. The report highlights places around the state where local governments have come together and lowered costs.

“At a time of declining revenues and resources, we’re very much between a rock and a hard place. Now more than ever, it’s important for local government to economize and find new ways to deliver services. Now is the best time to seize the opportunity,” said DiNapoli, who chose Cortland to officially announce his report because of the work its administration has done on shared services and its connections with Assemblywoman Sandra Galef, D-Ossining, a longtime proponent of shared services.”

To read the rest of the story click here.

To read the Comptroller’s press release or read the full report click here.

James T. Madore writes on  Newsday.com - “Gov. David A. Paterson and some lawmakers are raising the specter of furloughs - and even layoffs - of state workers to help close the growing budget deficit, as other big states have done.

“We’ve not had to furlough or lay off any workers, but the means of balancing budgets are becoming less and less available, and everything is on the table,” Paterson said recently. “We are going to have to make sure New York can still meet its obligations, that we don’t delay payments which would injure our financial status.”

New York has been the exception among large states in not slashing its 200,000-person payroll. Four states and the District of Columbia have fired workers to close budget gaps. New Jersey, Connecticut and seven others issued furloughs. Fourteen states, including California, did both.

Paterson has acted modestly so far, in part because of the clout of state employee unions. This year’s record $131.8-billion budget, already $3 billion in the red, was balanced initially by a workforce reduction producing savings of $260.3 million over two years. That goal was met by cutting 3,722 jobs, largely through attrition and abolishing funded vacancies. Barely 1,000 people took buyouts of $20,000 despite intense lobbying.”

To read the rest of the story click here.

James T. Odato writes in todya’s Times Union - “Gov. David Paterson will submit legislation calling for at least $17.5 million for 50,000 child care workers who are not public employees but have recently started paying dues to the Civil Service Employees Association and the United Federation of Teachers, according to the tentative agreement.

The deal, disclosed on a VoiceCSEA.org Web page and labeled “Not for distribution,” came about in recent months as Paterson talked of cutting personnel costs and promised to veto any bill that doesn’t have funds to cover government mandates.

Terms identified in the CSEA draft summary say the unions will work with the state to improve benefits for the home care providers. The state will agree to pay $5 million in fiscal 2010-2011 to provide Family Health Plus coverage for child care workers; another $9 million in the same fiscal year to expand and enroll them in the program; and $3 million to ensure workplace safety. Also, the unions will set up a professional development fund for child care workers, and the state will provide $500,000 for it.”

To read the rest of the story ckick here.