4 mill tax hike

[Dredly]

Looks like its that time of year... where everyone starts realizing that we have the SAME services for LESS people... but we can't lay people off... that would be bad! HOW THE HELL DO WE INCREASE EXPENDICUTRES WHEN THE OVERALL POP IS DROPPING!!!

solution: our roads are still shit, crime is still rising, and police response time is horrible, and we still have the same number, or more, of administrative idiots running everything. You work for the tax payer, if the tax payer can't afford to pay you then you either take a paycut or you get laid off, thats what it means to work in the public sector, its not a job for life with guaranteed raises and health care increases every year

Time to cut some jobs! I pay enough taxes already.

County proposes 4-mill tax increase, shorter work week

November 30, 2011

Monroe County's Commissioners approved a preliminary $99 million budget Wednesday that would increase taxes by 4-mills from 17.25 mills to 21.25 mills.

For a home owner with an assessed property value of $100,000, that would translate to a $100 tax increase, said Amy Rosen, the county's fiscal advisor.

The tax rate was increased because of a decline in revenues, but an increase in expenditures, which include obligations such as health care costs and retirement funding, she said.

To help offset some of those rising costs, the commissioners will ask county employees to cut their hours.

Most employees work an average 37.5 or 40-hour work week, but would be switched to a 35-hour work week under the commissioner's proposal.

The only employees not affected by the schedule change would be corrections workers because the Monroe County Correctional Facility is a 24-hour operation, Rosen said.

[mrnyman]

The Bureaucracy will always take care of itself, i've seen it when i lived in New York, THe Caribbean , and Europe- the bureaucracy always take care of itself, they will never fire themselves or lay themselves off, they will increase revenue through taxation- untill the tax base is fubar, then like a private corporation they file for bankruptcy.

All across America cities , counties, townships and 30 states are bankrupt. The problem is America cannot afford America.

[fallenleader]

4 mills is nothing when the school tax is already 175.
i'm soon to be on my way down to raise tax hell.

[Dredly]

Yay unions! Looks like that 4 mil increase is going to get us to over 20 mils increase (thats a bit over 500.00 / 100,000.00 home value )

But we are cutting head count, redoing contracts... etc right?


no, its for public pensions because "they didn't do to good on the stock market", salaries, increased health care costs...


better option: LAY MOTHER FUCKERS OFF!

December 03, 2011

Department heads are among about 270 Monroe County workers who will lose substantial salaries or wages under a proposed 2012 county budget that also hits taxpayers in the wallet.

All workers will be put on a 35-hour work week, including those currently working 37.5 or 40 hours. Salaried workers will have their pay reduced by 12.5 percent to reflect a 35-hour pay rate. The shorter work week is expected to save $1.28 million.

Those in the 592-member workforce covered by a county health insurance plan will have to begin contributing to their individual premiums (employees already contribute to their family members' coverage) and make higher co-pays — from $25 to $75 — for doctor and emergency room visits, while paying more for prescriptions and tests.

None of that was enough to prevent the commissioners from proposing a 4-mill property tax hike — to 21.5 mills — to help pay for the $118.6 million spending plan.

"We started out in an $11 million hole," Commissioner Theresa Merli said. Wage and health insurance concessions helped narrow that hole to $8.3 million.

A projected $1.5 million health care increase will be reduced to a $662,000 hike through employee concessions. Total health insurance costs have risen from $2.9 million in 2000 to $10.1 million for 2012.

The county's contribution next year to the employees' defined benefit pension plan will rise by $661,740, to $3.6 million. Declining stock market returns have hurt pension earnings, Merli said.

She pointed to declining property tax revenues due to home foreclosures and the huge downturn in new home construction.

Commissioners believe they have the legal authority to impose shorter work weeks on members of three employee unions, citing language in at least two contracts that allows cutbacks if the pain is shared with non-union workers. Business agent Neil Brown of the Pennsylvania Social Services Union Local 668 disagrees.

"Not in my reading of the contract," Brown said. "No, they don't."

Human Resources Director Bonnie Ace-Sattur said she read the contract provision to Brown that county officials believe enables them to reduce the hours of Local 668 caseworkers at Aging and Children and Youth.

Unionized corrections officers at the county prison are the only employees exempt from reduced hours. The commissioners determined longer work weeks are needed to cover the Snydersville jail's 24-hour operation.

Final budget adoption is scheduled for Dec. 21.

So just to be clear. We pay more. so that our Gov't employees can continue sitting on their ass doing nothing and fucking everything up... sounds like a good deal to me!


btw - 25 - 75 for visits? standard insurance is now 50 - 150... so they are STILL getting awesome deals.

[middlefinger]

in the 26 years ive lived in monroe county my taxes have risen close to 500%

[Dredly]

in the 26 years ive lived in monroe county my taxes have risen close to 500%

if you think that's bad just wait, the increases over the next 5 years will put that to shame, unfunded pensions and massive reductions in taxes caused by people fleeing the area are going to make taxes skyrocket.


For the last 20 years the argument has been "we are growing so fast that we need to build schools that will last for the next 50 years"... now the new tag line will be "so many people are leaving that the ones who stay need to pay more to cover the cost of these schools"

[fallenleader]

i thought the recent raises @ county level were to pay off some loan for a new school.

also, was told my last assessment was in/around '86 (yet to confirm)
property/house appraisal value: 43,690
2010 tax (in mills)
cty 17.25
lib 1.10
mun 4.5
sch 174.53

how do we go about showing them where they can put all that money?

[Dredly]

i thought the recent raises @ county level were to pay off some loan for a new school.

also, was told my last assessment was in/around '86 (yet to confirm)
property/house appraisal value: 43,690
2010 tax (in mills)
cty 17.25
lib 1.10
mun 4.5
sch 174.53

how do we go about showing them where they can put all that money?

better hope they don't do a re-appraisal

[fallenleader]

Edit: answered my own question, they use 25% of the market value. and even though im in a community, i think the house is worth around $200k
shame it doesn't look like they care about the roof falling off & leaking or the termite damage to the deck. ^_^'' or the water tests...

so how do we fight the taxes? get the idiots out of office? what?

[middlefinger]

better hope they don't do a re-appraisal

the house i'm in now was re assessed in 07 and the taxes went from 1200 to 3800

all my kids are grown and gone ....i'm moving to south carolina in april