- 9/29/02 --Important bill proposed: BOTTLED UP: The
NYC Council Sanitation Committee has scheduled a public hearing on Res. No.
384, supporting the Bigger, Better Bottle Bill (A. 11442/S.7521). This
bill would expand the state’s Bottle Bill law to include more types of
beverage containers, such as Snapple, bottled water, juice drinks and other
noncarbonated beverages, and mandate that unredeemed deposits be used to fund
local recycling programs. An endorsement from New York City would help build
momentum for this important legislation in Albany. The hearing will take place
at City Hall on October 8th at 10:00AM. For more information, contact Laura
Haight at NYPIRG, lhaight@nypirg.org
or 518-436-0876. --from the THE
GREEN SHEET Environmental
Advocates of New York's Statewide Bulletin Board Copies of The Green Sheet
can be downloaded free of charge at
http://www.eany.org
- 9/29/02 -- Event:
ECONOMIC SUMMIT- Sunday, October 6, 2002,
4-8 pm, At the Rocket Coffee Company,
171 Monroe Ave
followed at 8 pm by a FREE FOLK CONCERT with:Mike Strobel, Ray Baumler and Sue
Tennenbaum There will be tabling to stimulate
dialogue and encourage involvement, and to
offer books, T-shirts and gift items for sale. Hosted by Food Not Bombs, Green
Party of Monroe County, Abundance Cooperative
Market, Rochester Area Vegetarian Society, Animal Rights Advocates,
Poor Peoples’ Coalition, Ash Grove Community Farm, Native American
Activists, International Socialist Organization, Employees Committed
to Justice, Workplace Watchdogs, Metro Justice and others. Free
admission, free food, free parking. Disclaimer: This
event is for entertainment only.
- 9/29/02 -- This Action Message from
Rochester Regional Group of
the Sierra Club
Political Action: Take Action for a Clean, Safe, Affordable
Energy Future - Sierra Club activists have sent
the message to Congress that Americans deserve a
clean, safe, and affordable energy future, and we have the
technologies to get us there. We told lawmakers we need to make our
cars go further on a gallon of gas, increase our use
of clean, renewable energy sources, and protect our
special places from oil drilling. Now, after over two years of debate,
Congress stands poised to vote on an energy bill
that does nothing to bring about this future. Instead, it
increases our dependence on oil, is loaded with giveaways to corporate
polluters, and threatens our land, air and water. Contact your senators
right now and urge them not to railroad through an energy bill that
does much more harm than good. Tell them that
Americans deserve better. Go to the following
to send a fax directly to your Senator. There's a draft
provided!
http://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=188&st=curr
- 9/29/02 -- Important information on the cutbacks of the
Monroe County Budget. This message from
Rochester Regional Group of
the Sierra Club FOR YOUR INFORMATION AND ACTION
The following is the Monroe County legislative schedules related to the
budget cuts: 6pm, Tuesday, Oct. 8th: Monroe
County Legislature - County Office Building - Groups & citizens may address
legislature but it will be necessary to arrive early.
TBA/5pm? Thursday, Nov. 7th: Legislative Hearings on 2003 Budget - Ways
& Means Committee Hearing 6pm, Tuesday, Nov. 12th:
County Legislature vote on 2003 Budget - 6pm: Groups
& citizens may address legislature. Please plan to
attend one or all of these hearings. You may sign up
to speak by calling the County Clerk 428-5350.
- 9/29/02 -- Event: This
message from the Rochester Regional Group's
Energy Committee:
"This year's solar home tour sponsored by NESEA is Oct
5th, 10:00-4:00. A few of us will be hitting some of the houses. Everyone is
welcome to join us or if it's more convenient
for you, plan your own route. For more details about
where the houses are, go to:
http://www.nesea.org/buildings/2002openhouse/2002nyrochester.php
These houses are very interesting, and surprisingly close by!
My plan is to go to the Avon house, then to
Honeoye Falls. If you would like to join us,
you can meet up with us at the Labine house in
Avon around 11:00 am (290 Genesee St). Here
are a couple of the open houses: 1) 290 Genesee St,
Avon. Bill LaBine 585-226-8521.
2) 5115 South Hill Rd, Canandaigua. Chris Schaefer (585) 229-2083.
3) 215 Scofield Road, Honeoye Falls. Nancy Allinger and Duane Basch
716-624-2382
4) 3250 Texas Hollow Road, Odessa. Wayne O’Brien & Mary Hayes-O’Brien
(607) 227-1474 Any
questions, feel free to reply to this email and I will contact you. Looking
forward to seeing everybody next Saturday!
-
9/29/02 --
Event: Rally to
Stop the Invasion of Iraq - Monday,
October 7th - Federal Building -
State Street, Downtown Rochester 5pm- Rally
and Picket - 5:30-6:30 Candlelight Vigil and
Speakers - We are asking people to submit quotes on
militarism, military budget priorities, war, war propaganda and ruses for war
and to volunteer to read them. Call 325-2560 or email
metroj@frontiernet.net PLEASE
BRING A SIGN AND A CANDLE
-
9/29/02 --
Event: This from Metro Justice: "I
think the best way
to have your voice heard in Washington is to join
the massive antiwar rally on October 26th. Saturday, October 26th, National
March on Washington, DC. STOP THE WAR IN IRAQ BEFORE IT STARTS! RESERVE
YOUR PLACE ON THE BUS NOW BY CALLING METRO JUSTICE, 585-325-2560. Cost is
about $45.00. If you can't make it to Washington, you can donate to Metro
Justice so that they can offer reduced fares to people who
would like to go but don't have the cash. Another
way to have your voice heard is by fax. Send your
antiwar message to Senators Clinton and Schumer, and to your
Representative. Here is a list of fax numbers. I've added
Daschle and Kennedy because they have (finally) made
public statements opposing the rush to war. It can't hurt to
let them know you support their position in opposition to
Bush's war on Iraq. Peace,
Arnie Matlin Genesee
Valley Citizens for Peace WASHINGTON FAX
NUMBERS
… SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON 202-228-0282
… SEN. TOM DASCHLE 202-224-7895
… SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY 202-224-2417
… SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER 202-228-3027 (often busy)
… REP. AMO HOUGHTON 202-225-5574
… REP. JOHN LaFALCE 202-225-5574
… REP. TOM REYNOLDS 202-225-5910
… REP. LOUISE SLAUGHTER 202-225-7822
-
9/20/02 --
Event: --from the
Rochester
Regional Group of the Sierra Club: A Focus on the River Region
-by Friends of the Genesee
Start Time: 7:15 PM
- A Focus on the River Region- by Friends of the
Genesee
http://newyork.sierraclub.org/rochester/river_region.htm
- October 17th, 7:15 pm, Third
Presbyterian Church, corner of Meigs & East Ave. Do you only think of the
Genesee River as just a muddy waterway? Are you looking for somewhere else to
canoe? Or perhaps you'd just like to learn more about this beautiful river.
It's a resource that is often overlooked. Come to our October membership
meeting and be prepared to be surprised at the lovely and lively water of this
remarkable resource which exists right in our midst. Then you'll have all
winter to dream of getting out to enjoy the river next Spring. There are many
ways to enjoy the river. And there will be more in the future. There are new
City initiatives that focus on recreation, a DEC report on the Genesee River
basin, and DOT plans to build car-top boat access. Laura Arney and Sue Mihalyi
are in the process of organizing a group call Friends of the Genesee River.
For our October membership meeting, they will make a PowerPoint presentation
on the current state of the Genesee River, its recreational opportunities and
its water quality challenges.
- 9/18/02 -- Event: A
Rabies Prevention Clinic will be held at the City of Canandaigua, Hurley
Building on Saltonstall Street from 9 am to 12 noon on September, 21st. Call
(315) 986-5540 for further information. --from The Town Crier
- 9/18/02 -- Here's a way you can help your environment
today: Ask your senators to protect vital clean air and public
health standards and stop the EPA from weakening the Clean Air Act. Follow
the link below to go to a web page where you can e-mail your senators.
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=9&id4=ES
--from Gene Karpinski, U.S. PIRG Executive Director
http://www.USPIRG.org
- 9/18/02 -- Event:
Environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill to visit Buffalo! For 738 days
Julia Butterfly Hill lived in the canopy of an ancient redwood
tree, called Luna, to help make the world aware of the plight of
ancient forests which are now, as then, threatened
by the logging industry. This amazing woman survived
hurricane winds, winter's worst storms, and
harassment from loggers, perched high above
California's Headwaters Forest. When she descended,
Julia realized the importance of sharing her message
with the world. She and other forest activists founded the Circle of Life
Foundation, the purpose of which is to "activate people through
education, inspiration and
connection to live in a way that honors the diversity and
interdependence of all life". Julia has authored two books, "The Legacy
of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the
Struggle to Save the Redwoods" and "One Makes the
Difference: Inspiring Actions that Change Our World ".
Julia Butterfly Hill will give a FREE lecture at 7:30 PM on Thursday,
October 3, 2002 in Slee Hall on the University at Buffalo's North
Campus. Please join us for this inspirational
lecture given by one of the most outstanding women
in the environmental movement. Feel free to come early.
From 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. there will be an environmental information fair
and refreshments. For more information and
directions contact the UB Green Office at
ecala@facilities.buffalo.edu,
716-829-3535 or online at
http://wings.buffalo.edu/ubgreen
. Contact information: Main Office: Citizens'
Environmental Coalition, 33 Central Ave.,Albany,
New York 12210 518-462-5527
www.cectoxic.org
- 9/18/02 -- Event: --from "Charms
and Challenges of WNY Toxic Bus Tour On October 1st, the Coalition of
Impacted Neighborhoods is organizing the second
annual Charms and Challenges of WNY Toxic Bus Tour, a tour of area
toxic sites. You are invited to take this tour and learn about the
toxic hazards that exist in your community. If you
are interested in joining the tour - call the WNY office at (716)
885-6848 or send us an email at
cecwny@buffnet.net
- 9/18/02 -- Don't miss this major story by City
Newspaper on school buses and diesel fuel:
City Newspaper: School buses: take a deep breath, or not The UCS report
gave New York State a "C" grade overall, mostly because of bad "fuel choice."
The relevant data: Statewide, 95 percent of our 45,000 school buses run on
diesel fuel, five percent run on gasoline, and just 0.09 percent use other
fuels like natural gas. The statewide fleet pours out 9,500 tons of
smog-related substances and 375 tons of particulate matter (read: soot). The
soot emissions, the highest of any state, account for more than a tenth of the
US total. (September 18, 2002)
City
Newspaper
- 9/18/02 -- Here's a curious story. While Monroe
County undergoes severe financial budget cuts--downscaling the Monroe County
library system, the Environmental Environmental Quality Board, and many social
services--the county still insists that the Seneca Park Zoo is worth spending
a great deal of time and money on expanding. So, what is the Seneca Park
Zoo up to? What is so important about a zoo that our Monroe County
Executive has decided that it is more important than, say the freedom of all
our residents (including the poor) full access to library materials and
monitoring our area's water quality? The answer is Saving elephants in
North America. Well, I've checked my history books and it's been a
long, long time since the Africa elephant (or any Proboscidea ((family
Elephantidae)) for that matter), has roamed North America. We should be saving
Monroe's County's precious biodiversity, not tearing up our precious open
space in Seneca Park to preserve a species not endemic to our area.
Elephants are important to our planet's biodiversity and if we want to save
them, or more importantly, save their habitat, we need to help African nations
preserve elephant territory. Zoo's are entertainment and taking on the job of
preserving elephants in North America matters not a whit to the destruction of
the biodiversity in Africa, where the real problem lies. Our government
should be helping the African countries preserve and protect elephant
territory in Africa. Here's the story:
Democrat & Chronicle: Zoo hopes to breed elephants — Seneca Park Zoo staff
will artificially inseminate Genny C. the African elephant, Thursday and
Friday, in an attempt to increase the dwindling population of elephants in
North America. (September 18, 2002)
Democrat and
Chronicle
- 9/18/02 -- Things getting a little too loud?
Join up and help tone things down around Rochester:
The
Rochester Soundscape Society is a local chapter of Noise Free America,
dedicated to restoring and preserving the soundscape of the greater Rochester
area by reducing noise. Here's some more: "Rochester Soundscape Society
is an activist group fro reducing noise pollution in Monroe County.
We have set up a Yahoo group for Rochester Soundscape Society. My
concept for this group is for it to be a public
forum for all to discuss soundscape/noise
issues, emphasizing, but not limited to the greater Rochester (New
York) area. It would also be a place to discuss
activities of RSS of interest to the public
at large. I would like to invite you to visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rochestersoundscapesociety
and join the group. Event:
The group is open to anyone and everyone, including
access to archives. Our next meeting is Sept. 17,
8:00pm at the Berean Cafe, 2203 Clifford Ave.
- 9/18/02 -- Though mostly buried in the media, this
major report concludes that although we have made some headway on some of our
environmental problems, we are far from creating a sustainable environment:
UN Global Environment
Outlook 3 - 2002 report that looks at the state of the environment on a
region-by-region and global basis, policy responses by governments, and what
can be expected going forward.
--from
Yahoo! Environment News.
- 9/16/02 -- Help Save Seneca Park: Find out what
you can do from the
Landmark
Society of Western New York Seneca Park Alliance Sues Monroe County To
Stop Zoo Expansion.
- 9/16/02 -- This in from
RochesheterGardening.com: "Greetings,
This is to remind our list members the on-line calendar lists
upcoming garden events. September activities are
now shown, with all Fall events to be added in the next days. Additional
flower bulb classes, as well as Put Your Garden To Bed, are listed at
http://www.TheBulbGuy.com/
Residents of Monroe County should read the following. The proposed county
budget cuts would eliminate funding for the Cornell Co-op Extension office.
Such a funding loss will result in the closing of this resource on Highland
Avenue. Through such offerings as the Diagnostic Lab, Master Gardeners, and
Speaker Programs, CCE-Monroe provides key services to area gardeners. To get
more information about this problem, and how you can take action, please visit
the CCE site at the link below, and click on Extension`s Response to Funding
Crisis
http://www.cce.cornell.edu/monroe/monroe.html
http://www.RochesterGardening.com/events/
- 9/16/02 -- Here's a special Report from
Nature Magazine on
Climate and Water: As floods devastated central Europe and Asia
this summer, climate scientists found themselves in great demand from
journalists struggling to explain the connections between recent catastrophic
weather and expected long-term changes in climate.
- 9/16/02 -- I'm passing this alert on: "Help
Protect NY's Air: Comment on Kodak's Air Pollution Permit
Go to
www.kodakstoxiccolors.org/actionalert.html and send the Department of
Environmental Conservation your comments on Kodak's Title V Air Permit by
September 17th Deadline (See below for more details.) For years, Kodak
Park's many different operating permits have given it
a "license to pollute," - allowing Kodak to be New York's #1
manufacturing polluter. The mind-boggling number of
air permits for Kodak has made it extremely
difficult for the public to figure out whether Kodak was complying
with the law. Now, the Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) is revising a draft
of Kodak's Title V Air Permit, mandated by the federal 1990 Clean Air Act
Amendments. If written properly, the new permit can impose tough
conditions to ensure that Kodak is monitoring,
recording, and reporting its air emissions.
It could hold Kodak accountable to the public
for any violations of clean air laws.
Unfortunately, Kodak plans to include a new
"op flex" clause which would allow them to
make changes outside the permitting process, including building
new emission sources and dramatically increasing emissions, with
little agency or public oversight. This new clause is in direct
violation of the Clean Air Act - which allows
off-permit changes as long as they don't
create emissions in excess of the limits allowed in the permit.
Kodak's "op flex" clause would allow them to make changes that
would exceed emission limits set in the
permit, clearly violating the Clean Air Act.
Public participation in the Title V process is
essential to getting the best permit possible. The
public comment period for this permit continues until
September 17, 2002. Now is your chance to make a difference and speak up for
clean air. Send a letter to the Department of Environmental Conservation by
September 17th. To send a
letter to the DEC with comments on the Title V Permit, go to:
www.kodakstoxiccolors.org/actionalert.html Click on the link to the sample
letter. Follow the prompts on that page to review, edit and send the letter.
Help us get the most protective and sound Title V permit possible for Kodak!
Please do this before September 17th. Please let us know if you sent in a
letter by writing to Citizens' Environmental
Coalition at cecwny@buffnet.net For
more information about the campaign, check out the campaign's website at
www.kodakstoxiccolors.org
and www.kandidcoalition.org
"
- 9/13/02 -- I hope you were there last night for the
Rochester
Regional Group of the Sierra Club's
3rd
Fall Festival. Over seventy citizens came to hear John Hanson
Mitchell, renown environmental writer and Audubon editor of Sanctuary speak on
"Nature And The Sense of Place". The puts on many programs for educating
the public on our environment. Sign up to their
e-mail list
to get constant updates on events and actions you can take online.
- 9/13/02 -- This from our friends over at
Metro Justice: "Tuesday night
was incredible. Over a hundred people showed up at the County Office Building
to protest the budget cuts. A banner comprised of thousands of budget cut
teddy bear cards signed by Rochesterians was unfurled. Dozens stayed to
testify at the legislature about the devastating effects of the proposed cuts.
The mood was defiant. Republican legislators told us, during breaks in the
meeting, that something would have to give, and that the budget cuts can't go
through as Doyle has proposed. Attached is a petition to sign (the last
demand is already outdated-- the Republicans have stacked the "independent"
budget review board already) and a link to contact your county legislator.
Some legislators were telling us that they haven't heard that much from people
yet.
http://www.monroecounty.gov/org504.asp?orgID=504&storytypeid=&storyID=&
If you don't know what legislative district you are in or who your
county legislator is try this link to the Board of Elections. If you type in
your address it gives you your district numbers.
http://www.monroecounty.gov/org29.asp?orgID=29&customPage=polling
Please forward this email widely," Jon
Greenbaum, Organizer, Metro Justice
- 9/11/02 -- I am passing this important document from
the Rochester
Regional Group of the Sierra Club: Summary of Monroe County
Budget Cuts Effecting Conservation and the Environment
-(The "Monroe County Property Tax Stability Plan" for 2002 & 2003)
Information from Rochester Regional Group - Sierra Club 8/30/02,
PO Box 39516, Rochester, N.Y. 14604, Phone:
244-2526. The following information has been
compiled from news reports, phone calls to agencies and written information
from agencies on the effect of the proposed Monroe County budget cuts on
conservation, environmental services and nature education programs for 2002 &
2003. We have spoken with a number of agency heads and summarize these talks
below. Cornell Cooperative Extension If the worst case scenario occurs
and all Monroe County funding to the Cooperative Extension is cut as proposed
it will result in the agency being eliminated. Current County funding for the
agency is $470,000. Closure will include eliminating the 4-H education
programs as well as the associated County agencies like the Monroe County Soil
and Water Agency. Because the Cooperative Extension operates on a matching
fund basis the elimination of all $470,000 County funds will result in the
loss of an additional $1,607,000 funding supports from state and federal
sources. The closure of Cornell Cooperative Extension would be the first such
closure in 89 years of New York State involvement with Cooperative Extensions.
Ref: Margaret O’Neill, Executive Director & D&C article 8/3/02 "Eliminating
Cornell co-op Unit Would Be a State First" Monroe
County Soil and Water Conservation Districts The County proposes to cut
all funding for the Soil & Water Districts. They currently support the office
at $87,000 which results in multiplier state and federal grants and fund
raising of $400,000. These funds are obtained by the Soil & Water office and
are distributed on a "pass through" basis to other offices and programs.
Grants are passed on for such projects as the Oatka Creek study ($360,000),
the Braddock’s Bay Watershed project ($25,000), and the Northrup Creek -Long
Pond watershed study ($30,000). Ref. Paula Smith, staff 8/27/02 Water
Education Collaborative The County proposes to cut the entire Monroe
County grant for their third year. If other supports can not be found the
Collaborative will close down. So far the WEC is on target to be independent
in three years. If the WEC closes a critical linkage group on water related
issues will terminate. Ref. Margit Brazda, Director Cummings
Nature Center The Rochester Museum and Science Center has been facing a
$300,000 budget cut for 2002. The County proposes to cut an additional
$600,000 for 2003 which will result in a drastic curtailment of services. The
Cummings Nature Center will close and may be sold. There will be no more star
shows at the Strasenburgh Planetarium. There will be major reductions of
services given in the past to the 45,000 students and 100,000 visitors.
Funding the County gives RMSC leverages between $320,000 to $800,000 in sales
taxes and between $4 to $10 million in revenue for related businesses.
Monroe County Bureau of Environmental Quality Two funded offices under the
Bureau of Environmental Quality ($607,500) will be eliminated as well as the
Bureau itself. The Water Quality Planning Bureau (Margie Peet) which monitors
the health of our streams, Genesee River, Irondequoit Bay and Ontario Lake
beaches will be eliminated, so we will not know of the effects on our drinking
water supplies. This department also works on diverse health issues such as
beach algae, botulism, chemical pollution and West Nile virus monitoring.
"This is very shortsighted. We are eliminating one of the premier programs in
New York State in attacking coastal problems and water quality problems."
Prof. Joe Markarewicz. The Monroe County
Environmental Management Council has been radically cut and will be
eliminated if they can not have $72,000 restored for 2003. Suzanne Quarterman
has retired. There is no plan for what will happen to the accumulated records
of over 25 years of monitoring the local Monroe County environment. Data bases
include locations of hazardous waste sites, wetland records dating back 50
years, accumulated data on most environmentally threatened areas in Monroe
County. 2,000 volunteer hours given by citizens for the environment through
EMC last year will be cease. Close 20 Monroe County Parks During The Week
The County parks has taken the brunt of county layoffs with 33 County
employees notified they were losing their jobs. Most County parks are to be
closed during week days but golf courses and the zoo will remain open. The
County plans to lay off or eliminate a total of 700 positions in all
departments in 2002/3. "Rochester’s mayor says a proposal to close Monroe
County parks during the week to save money ‘...is not only reckless but a
clear violation’ of a longstanding agreement with the city to run many
city-owned parks." D&C 8/20/02. Among parks to close would be Durand-Eastman,
Genesee Valley, Highland, Ontario Beach, Seneca and Tryon. Information and
Responses on Monroe County Budget Cut Proposals 9/9/02 1) Agencies to receive
no funding in 2003 The following agencies will not receive any funding from
the County in 2003: Memorial Art Gallery, Geva Theater, Genesee Country
Village, George Eastman House, WXXI, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Humane
Society and the Legal Aid Society. 2) Consolidations The following agencies
will have certain functions and activities consolidated into other agencies
overhauling the delivery of services: Health Department, Social Services,
Mental Health and Aging Bureau, Youth Bureau. 3) Parks Program Reductions
*Parks = $2.2 million *Swimming at Ontario Beach Park = $90,000 4) Other
Reductions *Monroe County Library = cut by 20% *Youth Bureau and Office of
Aging = reduced by 40% * Tobacco Prevention Program = $250,000 Ref. Democrat &
Chronicle 8/3/02 II. Has Jack Doyle Kept the Property Taxes Stable? Ref.
Letter to editor: City Newspaper, 8/28/02. Peter Collinge. "Doyle has cut the
county property tax steadily from $8.74 per $1,000 assessed value in 1995 when
Doyle assumed office to $8.00 in 2002. This decline in the property tax rate,
while surely welcomed by the developers who support Doyle, has left the county
unable even to keep up with inflation. And the most dramatic cut in the tax
rate came this past year from $8.31 in 2001 to $8 in 2002, at a time when the
County was already suffering financial problems, but also coincidentally at a
time when County Legislature seats were up for election." [Total property tax
reductions by Doyle administration = 8.5% over 9 years.] III. "Have You Had
Enough?" City Newspaper editorial, Mary Anna Towler - 8/21/02 "Jack Doyle did
not cause all the county’s current budget problems. A lot of the county’s
programs are mandated by law. [But] Many of his critics ...believe he could
have lessened the pain by raising taxes moderately over the past few years.
... " IV. Timing (Approximate) Sept to early October = Five Member County Leg
Commission to review budget cuts October 10th = Formal Monroe County Budget to
Legislature November = County Legislature vote on budget (may be delayed to
December 12th) V. Five Member Commission to Review Budget,
Thomas S. Richards, Kenneth D. Bell,
Charles Plosser, Dean William Simon School of Business, Univ. of
Rochester, Ann Burr One Democrat to be appointed
- 9/08/02 -- I am passing this message on from
Metro Justice:
RALLY to
restore the County Budget - Tuesday, 5pm
,County Building 39 W. Main Street,
downtown Rochester, The Doyle "Tax Stability
Plan" calls for axing 700 county workers to deal with the $23 million budget
shortfall. Programs cuts are being faced in service agencies all over the
county- the Lifetime Assistance Sheltered Workshop, School of the Holy
Childhood Day Treatment, Action for a Better Community Job Placement,
Lifeline, Family Services of Rochester Adoption, Child Sexual Abuse
Prevention, Oasis Drug Free Residential Program, Rochester Mental Health
Center Outpatient Clinic, Youth Bureau, Office for the Aging. Arts and
education organizations like Rochester Museum and Science Center, Memorial Art
Gallery, Monroe County Library, Geva Theater, Genesee Country Village and
Museum all face massive cuts. The Women’s Film Festival will lose all county
funding. The Health Department will eliminate the Bureau of Environmental
Quality. Cornell Cooperative Extension will close its doors. The Assigned
Counsel program will be eliminated. All parks will be closed on weekdays
(well, not all parks-- Doyle’s keeping the golf course open). The lines at DSS
will get even longer and service will get even worse as caseloads expand past
the point of triage. The deep cuts leave our preventive services in bad shape.
Forget about fixing potholes next year. Most of us know somebody affected by
the cuts. The magnitude is tremendous. But Doyle saw it coming for months,
maybe a year. Many people wonder if this is a political ploy to create
political support for a property tax raise. Some folks say that Doyle is
lining up a .5% sales tax increase, which would soak working families but
protect rich contributors to the local GOP. But Doyle is a true believer, and
this is an opportunity to shrink government, cut services and privatize. We
could cover this year’s budget shortfall easily. There are 250,000 properties
assessed taxes by the County. Twenty three million dollars is less than
$8/month for each property. And that’s if we split it evenly. If we raise
property taxes with a simple (albeit regressive) flat tax, those of us with
lower assessed houses pay less and those who can afford it pay more. If we
consider raising the hotel room occupancy tax and charges for services then
that $8 could get lower. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT POCKET CHANGE! -(and that’s not
even taking into consideration the millions COMIDA gives away in "corporate
incentives."). Keep in mind that since 1992 the tax rate has gone down every
year for the past ten years (as more houses get built each taxpayer’s burden
goes down). Of course next year’s budget shortfall would requires an
additional 30% increase in taxes. To close the gap for both years would mean a
tax increase of $20/month for a $100,000 house. If your house is assessed at a
lower value you would pay less. But revenue restoration (a tax increase) isn't
even on the table. ---Jon Greenbaum, Organizer,
Metro Justice of Rochester, New York
- 9/06/02 -- I am passing this note on:
Speak
Out for Clean Air, Protect our Children's Health,
Come to a Public Hearing! Public Hearing on
Kodak Park's Air Pollution Permit - Thursday, Sept.
12, 2002 - 2 - 4 p.m., or from 6:30 - close Holiday
Inn, 911 Brooks Ave., Rochester (off Exit 18 on
I-390) Join your neighbors at the hearing to
tell the DEC and Kodak that we want clean air, not pollution that hurts our
kids and our neighborhoods. For years, Kodak Park's many operating permits
have given it a "permit to pollute" allowing Kodak to be NY's #1 manufacturing
polluter. The mind-boggling number of air permits for Kodak have made it
difficult for the public to figure out how clean air regulations were being
applied to Kodak and whether or not Kodak was complying with the law. Now,
Kodak is finally getting a Title V permit, as mandated by the federal 1990
Clean Air Amendments. If written properly, the new permit can impose tough
conditions to ensure that Kodak is monitoring, recording and reporting its air
emissions. A properly written permit could hold Kodak accountable to the
public for any violations of clean air laws. Too often, the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has written Title V permits
that do not require full corporate accountability and that do not impose the
type of monitoring that could help the public figure out whether local
facilities are following the environmental laws that apply to them. Here's
your chance to make a difference. Voice your support for clean air and a clear
permit that requires Kodak to monitor its air emissions and report to the
public. Come to the hearing(s) to voice your support for a strong permit that
require Kodak to monitor its air emissions and report the results to the
public. You can view the draft Title V permit for Kodak at:
www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dar/boss/afs/draft_atv.html
If you are planning on attending - please contact - Mike Schade,
Citizens' Environmental Coalition, 425
Elmwood Ave. Suite 200, Buffalo, NY 14222,
(716) 885-6848, (716) 885-6845 fax
cecwny@buffnet.net
www.cectoxic.org