What Can Albany Afford?

Common Council members clash over priorities in the city’s 2009 budget

Published on 11/24/2008 by Metroland written by David King

On Monday night at the caucus of the Albany Common Council, Councilman James Sano (Ward 9) called for a show of hands to see how many members would support a 2-percent raise for nonunion city employees making between $35,001 and $70,000 a year. There had been discussion beforehand. Councilwoman Catherine Fahey (Ward 7) voiced reservations, noting that she thought the council had agreed to give 4-percent raises to nonunion city employees who made $35,000 or less because the mayor had cut out all raises for nonunion employees in his proposed budget and there had been “public outcry.” Fahey wondered why the council was adding more cost to the budget to give well-paid employees a raise they hadn’t asked for. Other members told Fahey they had received e-mail from other employees making more than $35,000 a year complaining that they also deserved a raise. So Sano called for a show of hands, and eight members agreed.

Sano, frustrated with the budget process, said, “We’ve been beating this thing up for weeks,” and asked who would vote for the budget that very night. Sano wondered aloud if the same eight who supported the 2-percent-raise proposal would support his budget.

A number of council people objected, saying they had not received information they had requested about the city’s gasoline expenditures and still had concerns that were not addressed. But Sano pressed forward until Councilman Glen Casey (Ward 11) pointed out that the public had not been told there would be a vote on the budget that night.

At the meeting, Common Council President Pro Tem Richard Conti (Ward 6) distributed a memo detailing his concerns with the proposed 2009 budget. Among those concerns were worries that the projected sales-tax revenue in the budget would not actually be realized, the reality that state-aid projections in the budget might be too generous in light of the state’s financial trouble, and that the proposed 4.9-percent property-tax increase is likely too great of a burden for homeowners in Albany to bear.

Councilman Corey Ellis (Ward 3) said he plans to vote against the budget because of those concerns and others. “I think the public is already disappointed in this year’s budget,” he said. “The council is not doing itself a favor trying to push it through. The thing I see that is the most important part is it does not contain direction for the city.” Ellis said the property-tax increase would drive more people from Albany.

Meanwhile, as a larger matter, Ellis said the budget does not address any of the issues the city is facing, including youth violence and abandoned buildings. “I don’t know how any council person can vote yes on the budget when it has nothing to do with policy issues,” said Ellis. “Property-tax relief is a policy issue; how we are going to deal with youth violence is a policy issue. How do we deal with the infrastructure in our city? Policy issue. The only thing [the mayor’s budget] says is, ‘We don’t get a fair share of state aid’—that’s not a policy. We continue to hear council members say hopefully next year these things will be addressed. This is the third budget I have been here for and it is time for the council leadership to take a stand. We have to force the administration to do what is best for city.”

Dominick Calsolaro (Ward 1) said prior to Monday’s meeting that he was “50-50” on voting for the mayor’s budget, telling Metroland, “I thought it was probably one of the best budgets the mayor put in since I’ve been on the council,” while noting concerns about bonding issues. Afterwards, he said he is “80-20” for voting against it.

Calsolaro said he is concerned that the city’s debt load has not been addressed. And he stands against the proposal to give a 2-percent raise to nonunion city workers making $35,001 to $70,000. “I don’t think people making $70,000 should get a raise this year. I don’t think that is the message we should be sending in tough financial times,” he said. Calsolaro said that he brought up the issue of giving a 4-percent raise to nonunion city workers who make less than $35,000 and was glad the mayor supported it, but sees no reason to extend it to those making more.

Ellis said that this year the council needs to take time to ensure that long-term issues are addressed in the budget despite the difficulties they face having no budget director, and if they can’t, the budget needs to be voted down and left in the hands of the mayor. “When I vote ‘no’ I am going to ask, ‘How can you say this is a budget the citizens of Albany can live with?’ They can’t. If the council wants to send a message that the city is heading in the wrong direction and has no policy on youth violence, they should vote ‘no’ and allow the mayor to veto and say this is the mayor’s budget.”

As of press time, the council was scheduled to meet Wednesday night to further discuss the budget. The council is expected to vote on it next Monday.