It was unveiled yesterday by Mike Hein that close to 900,000 in cuts could be made in seven county departments. Hein made these recommendations to the Ways and Means committee, which will look and examine further Hein's findings.
These cuts are in response to among other things, out of control and unexpected fuel costs and a 2% reduction in state aid to all counties.
On an election year these cuts are not going to be popular, these are real cuts and tough decisions have to be made. Instead of pushing this under the rug, Hein is very direct about this, he has proven that he is a true leader, something this county desperately needs.
This is nothing new, Mike Hein has been making these tough decisions since becoming our County Administrator back in 2006, inheriting an absolute mess. Through his leadership the county is back on the right track and continues to move forward.
Which is why Hudson Valley Business magazine accurately reported that Mike Hein has delivered more reform in two years than the previous 26 years combined.
The leadership of Hein and his administration is a breath of fresh air and for that he is our person of the week.
12 comments:
I found the website!
That's what we need in Ulster County. Hein for exec and gotcha back, Auerbach for Comptroller.
Madeline
p.s. maybe I should be hired by the campaign to come up with slogans. Tell them the first few are free. I will come up with one for Hein. Im too tired and unlike you I have summer classes to go to in less than six hours.
So why find the cuts now? Did the department heads pad their budgets? They treat us taxpayers like we are stupid. Government always feels the taxpayers are just one big drinking well for them to drink from and election time is when they feel our pain. Give me a break.
Good Old Boys are fine - vote for Hein.
Once again, Mr. Blaber, you tell only half the story. You leave out the fact that those "out of control and unexpected fuel costs" have actually given Ulster County a windfall in gasoline taxes since the County refused to cap gasoline taxes back when they were given the opportunity to do so under State law. Nor should the rise in fuel costs have been "unexpected," given that this trend towards rising costs began long before the last Budget was crafted. It was simply poor planning.
Moreover, if the County Budget had areas of savings in it, they should have been found when the last budget was being drafted, if not the previous Budget, so that the tax increases could have been eliminated. Had that been done, new business might have been drawn to the County and quality jobs created, thus raising the average income and making the out of control taxation easier to deal with.
By the way, why don't you talk about the nature of the "savings" which are being made? Some are temporary, like not filling certain positions until 2009, leaving us with a false sense of Mr. Hein having done something to save the taxpayers money. Some are just silly, such as the idea that we are going to do better by cutting out magazine subscriptions.
Fine, eliminate subscriptions but make meaningful cuts, as well. Many of the people of this County are unable to buy school supplies for their kids because of their tax bills! Does Mr. hein seriously think that cutting off some Department's subscription to "The New York Times" (or whatever they subcribe to) will help a single family in this County?
Businesses are leaving Ulster County. Very few of those which come here offer quality jobs. Most new jobs here are in retail, meaning one cannot support a family much beyond subsistence level on those wages. Our runaway taxes are the number one reason for that. Unless we have significant cuts in spending (10-15% at a shot, not 2%) and thus our taxes, new business will not come to Ulster County.
Either cut the fat - seriously, deeply cut the incredible, unsustainable waste - or get out of the way for someone who will make the tough choices we need made.
Bernardo and Quigley will make those choices.
Nothing in his record or his rhetoric gives anyone any objective reason to believe that Michael Hein will.
Hein seems impressive. I'm with you on this one! N.S.
The Dems/Hein have been in control for 3 years, and there seems to be a crisis every six months. When are the Dems/Hein going to be held accountable for their mismanagement of county government.
to 2:43
Probably when the Bush administration is held accountable for running the entire USA into the ground. If the overall economy was better, Ulster County, or any other county would not be in the predicament they are in now.
BTW... it took 25 years for the Republicans to held accountable and it will take a few more years to for the Democrats to clean up the horrible mess they left.
Because you don't know what has been changed and was has been improved, does not mean it hasn't happened.
Hein has no clue what he is doing. He decides to stop publication subscriptions, and postpone project. Ulster County needs real cuts. People cheer like village idiots for him because of his insignificant cuts. The obvious choice for the upcoming election is Bernardo.
To 5:02 you are way off base here. No doubt Bush has run this country into the ground. But this county has been underwater long before he ever came into office. I do not care what anyone says, we have been in what can only be deemed a depression for at least a decade and a half. My kids cannot come back here because the only decent paying jobs are in government and they are handed out. There is abosultely no sustainable business here. Our officials are now griping that IBM should bring the plant they are going to build in upstate NY here. A little late to get into that game, the thing is already going to the Albany area. We constantly hear about economic growth and the efforts being made. when was the last time you actually heard of a company actually thinking of coming here. I cannot remember one. We have more empty office space than we have occupied office space. Now finally Hein makes a cut BECAUSE HE HAD TO. The state took away 2% of our money. Well why weren't these cuts made before the money was taken away like maybe last year. People have bee yelling about the waste in county government for years because we see it everyday. Until he starts trimming some of it he is just like the rest.
Why the week and not the year you already showed us your true colors
A bloated staff on it's way - how many ex-legislators?
The leglislators have their families lined up at the Taxpayer's new feeding trough-Benjamin did someone say?
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