Dominick Calsolaro, Common Council, First Ward, Albany, NY

Albany budget given OK

Spending plan stands at $153 million; officials also approve labor pact

By BRIAN NEARING, Staff writer, Times Union

First published: Tuesday, November 21, 2006

ALBANY -- The Common Council on Monday approved the city's $153 million budget for 2007, which will hold the line on property taxes.

Council members also approved a new labor agreement with blue-collar workers over the objections of some workers who complained of voting irregularities when members accepted the pact last month.

Under the budget, spending will increase 5.7 percent, driven mainly by increases in payroll, health insurance and pension costs. Lawmakers accepted Mayor Jerry Jennings' use of about $3.4 million from the city's "rainy day" fund to balance the budget.

The city surplus, which stands at about $13 million, was used even though the city also is getting an increase in the state's payments in lieu of taxes, to $22.85 million from $16.1 million, as part of financing for the downtown convention center project.

On Monday, the council cut about $83,000 from the budget by using about $200,000 in cuts, mostly from a reduced bill from Albany County on the city's share of running local elections.

That was balanced with about $118,000 in new spending, including 3 percent raises for council members to $20,314 and extra pay for the president pro tempore and the majority leader, who will see their salaries increased to $22,814 each.

Council member Glen Casey, who represents the 11th Ward, was the sole vote against the council raises. "We should not have raised these salaries," he said.

Another lawmaker, Dominick Calsolaro of the 1st Ward, said he supported the budget despite reservations about its overdependence on continuing city borrowing, cash from dumping fees at the Rapp Road landfill, and "largess of the state Legislature and the governor."

Finance Committee Chairman James Sano acknowledged the dump issue, saying, "If we should or should not be in the landfill business for profit, that is an argument worthy of merit for another time."

The council did not change Jennings' budget for the landfill, which calls for the city to get about $12.8 million from fees paid by local governments and commercial haulers that use the dump.

Before the council voted to accept a four-year labor contract with Albany Blue Collar Workers Union Local 1961, which represents about 300 workers in the parks, general services and water departments, Conti said allegations of unfair voting were an "internal discussion" best handled within the union itself.

The agreement, approved last month by union members, calls for annual pay raises of 3 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent and 4 percent.

The deal, which is retroactive to Jan. 1, is the first contract that the city has reached with its 12 workers' unions.

Twelve lawmakers voted to accept the blue-collar agreement, with members Sandra Fox of the 15th Ward and Corey Ellis of the 3rd Ward voting present, which was a vote neither for nor against the agreement.

Brian Nearing can be reached at 454-5094 or by e-mail at bnearing@timesunion.com.