NC 2.0--Restoring North Castle's Financial Future! Greetings!
North Castle is approaching a total financial meltdown. If nothing is done, Town taxes will increase over 45% percent in the next few years. The problem is incompetent and inefficient management by our leaders. Personnel, salaries and benefits are out of control. Each North Castle Town employee, after as little as 5 years of service, will retire with a $750,000 taxpayer gift. This is the cost of their lifetime health insurance which is doled out upon departure. Not bad for spending a few years working for North Castle.
While the Town Board has recently gotten an injection of "new blood", the three members responsible for the upcoming debacle are still in control. They're the ones who cost the Town its coveted Triple A bonding rating. They have the ability to increase spending and taxes at will. They won't be happy until North Castle's bonds receive a junk rating. Trusting these people to do the right thing is like handing your teenager a bottle of Jack Daniels and the keys to the Ferrari. No decent parent could ever expect a positive outcome, and no sane taxpayer is expecting our Board to perform responsibly.
There is only one solution to our dilemma, a referendum to Cap Tax Increases at Two Percent--Per Year! The measure would limit the Board to a two percent annual tax increase, with limited exceptions. Their only other option to exceed the cap, would be submission of a public referendum--where 60 percent of the voters are required to approve the measure.
We can save North Castle from the impending financial disaster that prior Town Boards and the majority of the current Town Board has unleashed, but we must act quickly. Please sign the Online e-Petition--the link is below. We intend to submit the Signed Petitions to the Town Board at the September 7, 2010 meeting. If we gather enough signatures, they will be forced to put the measure on the November Ballot. But we must have your support now! Please sign the e-Petition and forward this email to everyone you can think of.
Here's the link: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/capnctaxes/
Also, please send letters and emails to our Town Board demanding they place this measure on the November Ballot. Their email addresses are supervisor@northcastleny.com droth@northcastleny.com jcronin@northcastleny.com Rebecca Kittredge--no public email address Michael Shiliro--no public email address
Signed,
Kerry Lutz Frank Benish Michael Fareri Gina Sinon Lee Golden Vincent J. Murphy, Jr. Hugh Gallagher Trudi Gallagher Anthony Futia Sara Doto Robert Doto Anita Cozza Randi Silverman Stuart Silverman April Gasparino Richard Gasparino Richard Gasparino, Jr. Dominick Gasparino Sally Barr Robyn Eckhaus Kevin Tissot
You may have recently received an e-mail from a group of residents urging you to sign an on-line petition seeking a referendum for the imposition of a cap on tax increases.
Aside from some of the inaccuracies and out-of-context statements in that e-mail, let us assure you that Town taxes dominate almost every topic that the Town Board discusses. None of your Town Board members wishes to unnecessarily increase Town taxes.
Recognize that your Town tax represents approximately 15% of your total taxes, the balance being separate budgets from the County and School Districts.
Following are some of the steps that the Town Board has taken to keep Town taxes to the absolute minimum while continuing to provide quality services to you.
1. Formed a citizen-based Budget and Finance Advisory Task Force with extensive financial and business expertise. In the coming weeks, they will make a public presentation which will provide an accurate representation of the Town's finances. We hope that residents will attend this meeting - details will be provided shortly.
2. Continued the engagement of a professional Labor Negotiator and broadened his scope to include benefits consulting services and organizational analysis.
3. Progressing in the development of a Department of Public Works.
4. Police Department Study - Bid proposals from professionals to undertake this important review have just been received.
5. Adoption of New York State Retirement Incentive Program designed to reduce staffing levels.
6. Adoption of a shared service agreement with a neighboring town.
During the Fall, the Town Board will hold a number of public meetings and work sessions. The primary topic of these meetings will be the Town budget for 2011. The balance we strive for is the lowest possible tax while maintaining North Castle's respected services and programs which have long been a hallmark of our Town. We encourage you to attend.
Finally, we must advise you that the petition we referred to at the beginning of this letter currently being circulated around Town is legally impermissible. Municipalities in New York State are only permitted to hold referenda on topics authorized by New York Statutes. The question of a tax cap has not been so authorized. Hence, this Town Board is not authorized by law to entertain such a request.
Respectfully,
Supervisor Bill Weaver Councilman Becky Kittredge Councilman Michael Schiliro Councilman John Cronin Councilman Diane Roth
Town of North Castle 15 Bedford Road Armonk, New York 10504
1) Conceptually we favor a cap. What we've agreed with our colleagues on the Board is that before we would look to impose a "cap", we need work through the budget process as a group and attempt to understand a base level of costs associated with delivering various levels of service. We can then engage the public to determine what level of service is acceptable and work from there.
2) We'd turn that question around and ask how realistic is it for the CSEA (Employee Benefit Fund) and other unions to expect towns like ours to continue to fund compensation and benefits packages for municipal employees that so far exceed those of the private sector? We are fast approaching the point where the compensation, health care and benefits paid are no longer sustainable. This holds true for the School District as well.
3)Targets are not terribly meaningful - in particular if they are not articulated. We need to understand what it costs to provide an acceptable level of services to the town and budget to that. The irresponsible budgets of the last few years have starved our infrastructure and depleted our reserves while failing to make the difficult but necessary changes in the town's staffing and compensation levels.4) North Castle spends a great deal more per household in many areas than do our neighboring communities. We need to focus on these areas to determine whether our staffing levels are scaled appropriately, and to make sure we have adopted the best practices in operating efficiently. A reorganization of a number of functions into a Public Works Department has been underway over the summer and we anticipate a cost savings there. We are also beginning an operations review of our Police Department led by our Budget and Finance Task Force assisted by outside policing experts which we believe may yield significant opportunities for improvement. The Task Force will also be looking at other departments. More important than just focusing on immediate opportunities, however, we need to move to a five year planning and budgeting process which will allow us to better balance the needs for repairing our balance sheet, improving our infrastructure and right sizing our staffing in all our Departments.
Benefits is another obvious area where change is required. Municipalities need to move in the direction of defined contribution vs defined benefits along with contributory health care plans. This is a shift that took place a number of years ago in the private sector and government has to catch up. I believe we need to initiate a comprehensive effort to reform the towns numerous benefit structures.