Didnt they raise taxes 3%

[Raise taxes??]

For more police officers on the street??
Where is that money going to?

[UnregHa]

maybe to repay the democrats campaign contributions

[Unregistered1234]

This is why your property taxes are sky high


http://newsdayinteractive.com/community/ed_int/simpleDB/?database=newsday_projects&table=2009_trs_pensions

[seeuat7-11]

we are paying for more cops to eat for free at the bagel store and hang out at 7-11

[clarify please]

This is why your property taxes are sky high


http://newsdayinteractive.com/community/ed_int/simpleDB/?database=newsday_projects&table=2009_trs_pensions



im not sure what you mean-

do you believe there should be no pensions?

lets not compare apples and oranges but pooling teachers with
county employees-

teachers are WELL PAID and respected.

COUNTY EMPLOYEES on the other hand

are

underpaid and made to feel like crap each day


TRUST ME

most county workers dont live long enough to collect that pension-

DUE TO STRESS RELATED ILLNESS

[Unregistered1234]

im not sure what you mean-

do you believe there should be no pensions?

lets not compare apples and oranges but pooling teachers with
county employees-

teachers are WELL PAID and respected.

COUNTY EMPLOYEES on the other hand

are

underpaid and made to feel like crap each day


TRUST ME

most county workers dont live long enough to collect that pension-

DUE TO STRESS RELATED ILLNESS

Didn't mention a thing about County workers, I am one. I sat slackjawed scrolling through the size of the pensions, that local school districts will now be paying for possibly 30 -40 years. School property taxes will skyrocket unless teachers are cut and extra curriculem activities curtailed. Then through in the police pensions, lets not go into the disability ones-some are paid for over 40 years.

I just think it needs to be looked at, can local governments afford these early retirement pensions at full pay

[dig deeper]

Attacking public sector employee pensions is old hat for politicians. Maybe if we lived in California you would have an issue. But here in NYS we have the best run state pension system in the country. It is currently funded at approx 103%.
You may not like cops and teachers because of their schedules or benefits, but the pension system isn't what's driving the tax rate up. It,s poor management and duplication of services that need to be brought under control.

[urmissingthept]

You are paying for something that you are not getting.
3% tax increase for cops.

[Unr]

You are paying for something that you are not getting.
3% tax increase for cops.


3% increase was for 200 cops to be hired, But only hiring 70 (still increasing taxes 3% though.

My feeling though is that he isn't hiring more cops, he is only replacing the ones that retired sooo where is the money that was used to pay those higher salaries?? You are replacing higher salaried retired cops with lower salaried rookies. So why the 3% increase?????

[Unregisteredand]

3% increase was for 200 cops to be hired, But only hiring 70 (still increasing taxes 3% though.

My feeling though is that he isn't hiring more cops, he is only replacing the ones that retired sooo where is the money that was used to pay those higher salaries?? You are replacing higher salaried retired cops with lower salaried rookies. So why the 3% increase?????

...and as og yet, NOT ONE OFFICER has been hired.....

[UnregisteredPO]

3% increase was for 200 cops to be hired, But only hiring 70 (still increasing taxes 3% though.

My feeling though is that he isn't hiring more cops, he is only replacing the ones that retired sooo where is the money that was used to pay those higher salaries?? You are replacing higher salaried retired cops with lower salaried rookies. So why the 3% increase?????

Retiring cops have not been replaced. The PBA is short 355 cops and 55 bosses. but Levy is still keeping the tax rate at 100% manning. The savings is going into his "Rainy Day Fund".

[UnregisteredSull]

Pardon my wording, it's the SOA down 55 sgt's, Lt's, capt's, etc.

[Unregistered77777]

It's all bullshit. Levy has raised taxes every year he has been county executive.
It is all smoke and mirrors and the tax payer is the one getting the short end of the stick.

[Unregistered1234]

Retiring cops have not been replaced. The PBA is short 355 cops and 55 bosses. but Levy is still keeping the tax rate at 100% manning. The savings is going into his "Rainy Day Fund".

What are you talking about? Last year the "Rainy day fund was tapped for 30 million, and this year it will be neccessary to tap it again. Actual sales tax revenues will again fall short of budgeted sales tax revenues. Any savings is going to cover yearly shortfalls!

[UnregisteredKarenL]

The funds were transferred from the police budget to general funds & Levy only blames cops for countywide shortages,

[Unregistered111]

The funds were transferred from the police budget to general funds & Levy only blames cops for countywide shortages,

Yes, all department budgets were cut during the year to make up for the shortfall in revenues. police budget was cut like every other department during the year, And?

[ThereIsNoPoliceBudget]

The funds were transferred from the police budget to general funds & Levy only blames cops for countywide shortages,

There is no police budget. The paychecks all say "County of Suffolk" not "Suffolk County Police Department."

[ATM Machines]

Retiring cops have not been replaced. The PBA is short 355 cops and 55 bosses. but Levy is still keeping the tax rate at 100% manning. The savings is going into his "Rainy Day Fund".

...And when the PD is budgeted for 1.85 million, but overtime costs exceed that by $500,000.00, where does that additional funding come from?

[Unregistered1354]

...And when the PD is budgeted for 1.85 million, but overtime costs exceed that by $500,000.00, where does that additional funding come from?

Somewhere else in the County budget, perhaps that 3% increase. So maybe if they controlled OT, they could have hired those police, nope, that OT was needed for prospective retirees.

[Unregisterednottobefunny]

...And when the PD is budgeted for 1.85 million, but overtime costs exceed that by $500,000.00, where does that additional funding come from?


when ot budgets are cut by 500%ish over the past few years and most POLICE OT is unavoidable and 911 driven by calls what would your solution be?

Yes I could believe OT was under budgeted. You cant just cut something so huge and expect it will work itself out.

I suspect another LE agency had huge upticks in OT and mums the word. I dont even remember the annual highest earners and OT earners in Newsday this year for the B-xB-xB-x time in decades. I wonder what gives?