The city of Troy has been under severe financial stress, thanks to problems including sewer and water issues, shoddy bookkeeping, and a lack of a long-term comprehensive plan, as outlined in an audit by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli last February. The mayor and Common Council are locked in battle over a 2017 spending plan.
In early October, Troy Mayor Patrick Madden released his first budget proposal for the city that carries a 28.2 percent tax increase. He portrayed the $72.3 million spending plan as a “regrettably harsh consequence for correcting past unrealistic and politically expedient budget practices.”
On top of that, Madden is calling for a 17.5 percent hike in sewer fees. He says the increases are needed to correct a decade of financial damage. "Over that timespan we've depleted our - we call it a fund balance but the public would understand it to be the savings account - we've depleted that by more than $7 million. We were over $9 million ten years ago. We are under $2 million today."
Republican Troy City Council President Carmella Mantello agrees: "We did inherit this mess from former councils and former administrations not doing their job and not putting forth sound budgeting. However, the mayor in January, had the opportunity to really change the way business is being done in city government and the way we provide services to the people of Troy. The taxpayers of Troy cannot bear the burden of a 28.2 percent tax increase and a 17 and a half sewer rate increase."
Madden, a first-term Democrat, says the hikes are essential to Troy's survival. He states that his budget is sound, logical and based on fact. Madden’s been offering budget presentations at neighborhood meetings and making himself available to answer taxpayer's questions one-on-one: "I did it again last night. I've done several neighborhood organizations. I had a series of workshops in September. People are telling me 'this is great.' It's good information. Nobody has ever given them a look behind the curtain, if you will, in the past. They don't necessarily like what I'm saying, but they like that I'm saying it, they like that I'm sharing it with them."
Madden says even with the increases, taxes are lower than those levied in Albany and Schenectady. Mantello has asked the mayor to re-think his budget to bring it in line with the council's 16-point plan. "...which calls for several reductions in expenditures, changing the way business is being done at city hall, which the state comptroller and the mayor made prior to getting into office warned us that we were going to be facing these tough financial times, and so seeing that, the council unanimously, both Democrats and Republicans, passed the 16-point plan, raising revenues, decreasing expenditures - the mayor refused to implement, the council's unanimous plan, even though it went into law."
Madden counters: "Most of the items in the plan, are included in the budget. We just need to get to the budget hearings and discuss that, and they can see how they've been addressed in the budget."
Mantello and the City Council will review the sewer increase proposal tonight at a Finance Committee meeting, one of many scheduled: Madden thinks he can reason with the group. "We'll answer every question they have. We'll explain every line item that they want to have explained to them. We'll talk about our thinking on it, how we got to a particular number, what constraints there are, in terms of moving that number one way or the other. We'll share all that information with the council, and then we'll have discussions on it."
Madden adds regardless of how that turns out, he'll continue meeting with citizens and answering their questions. Mantello notes there are many forums and meetings to come. "The council – now we're reviewing the budget. We have over 20 community meetings, public hearings and meetings from now until the end of November. We encourage folks to participate in these meetings, have their voices heard, ask questions, which they are allowed to do, of department heads. Another very important fact is that the council majority has stated that we will not override the tax cap until the mayor demonstrates that he is going to cut expenditures and implement some of our 16 point plan."
Mantello says that should the mayor include the 16-point plan in the 2017 budget, it would show "true collaboration" on his part. The City Council is working up to a November 29 deadline to vote on the budget.
