Tax Increase, Legislator Pay Raise In Chemung County 2024 Budget Proposal

[TTL News 311]

[KarenK 384]

Seems like there is always a pay raise in the budget.

I want to know how they will implement the new term limits after the first of the year.  That was a landslide in favor.

[Hal 341]

Strange … I saw term limits and other crap on my Ballot , but nothing about a Pay Raise for Legislators ! Weird how that works … 

[KarenK 384]

3 hours ago, Hal said:

Strange … I saw term limits and other crap on my Ballot , but nothing about a Pay Raise for Legislators ! Weird how that works … 

Isn't it?  I guess we have no say in that.

[Hal 341]

21 minutes ago, KarenK said:

Isn't it?  I guess we have no say in that.

None whatsoever! But i’m sure we will be told , and I quote “ what people need to understand “ once again ! Really tell me please what do I not understand about voting Yourselves a pay increase… rest assured we know full well why , BECAUSE YOU CAN .

[MsKreed 1,191]

The Full Legislature Meeting to vote on the Budget was tonight (Video HERE) .

Legislator McCarthy made a motion to Amend the budget (to eliminate the legislators' pay raise).  Sadly, that motion failed.

AYE Votes (to eliminate raise): Morse, Saglibene, Donovan, Palmer, Pickering, Chalk, McCarthy

Nay (keeping raise in the budget): Sweet, Brennan, Margeson, Burin, Stermer, Drake, Smith, Strange

 

PS: If you watch the video, stay tuned after the voting for a very nice farewell for retiring Budget Director Steve Hoover.

[Chris 2,192]

1 hour ago, MsKreed said:

AYE Votes (to eliminate raise): Morse, Saglibene, Donovan, Palmer, Pickering, Chalk, McCarthy

Nay (keeping raise in the budget): Sweet, Brennan, Margeson, Burin, Stermer, Drake, Smith, Strange

Somehow, who voted how surprises me very little.

[Ann 266]

12 hours ago, Chris said:

Somehow, who voted how surprises me very little.

The higher your salary the better your State pension.

[MsKreed 1,191]

12 hours ago, Chris said:

Somehow, who voted how surprises me very little.

For sure!

 

Saglibene made some good points. I do think what they've accomplished (term limits, etc) has been positive...and should give them a sense of pride.....but it's tacky to assign a dollar number for their achievements while raising the tax levy. 

 

For what?? An extra $10-12 bucks a week?

The amount of the raises seem like a trivial "reward" for the negative vibe they're sending. It really seems petty to "stand their ground" over.

 

Legislator salary of $17,591 will increase to $18,119. ($528)

Majority & Minority leader will increase from $20,369 to $20,979. ($610)

The Vice Chairman’s salary will increase from $21,597 to $22,245. ($648)

The Chairman’s salary will increase from $42,217 to $43,484. ($1267)

 

Just now, Ann said:

The higher your salary the better your State pension.

Yes...and it occurred to me that many of the ones voting to keep the raises in the budget are the same ones who opposed term limits (and will not have as many more years to boost their incomes as they'd hoped).  

[Chris 2,192]

7 hours ago, MsKreed said:

The Chairman’s salary will increase from $42,217 to $43,484. ($1267)

“We reached out to all 15 legislators for a comment on how they voted. In an email, Chairman Mark Margeson, who voted in favor of the raises, said “I currently have no comment.”

Source

How absolutely insulting to the taxpayers ( you know, those of us who aren’t able to give ourselves raises ) to tell us we need to cough up more money, then take more for yourself.

This scenario seems familiar to me…

“You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege?  Many of us actually dislike milk and apples….Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink the milk and eat those apples.”

And then to just say, “No comment?” C’mon Mark, you can do better than that. At least explain your rationale for taking money out of our wallets and putting it in your own. Granted, it won’t make it alright, but it’s less a slap in the face than “no comment” and carrying on, business as usual.

A huge THANK YOU to Bill, Lawana, and the others who tried to do the right thing for the people they represent.

I hope Moss vetoes this pay raise. 

[MsKreed 1,191]

1 hour ago, Chris said:

I hope Moss vetoes this pay raise. 

Doesn't look like that will happen....

Quote

The County Executive has the power to veto the legislature’s budget amendments. In a prior report, Mr. Moss stated he doesn’t think legislators should be giving themselves raises when a property tax increase is being considered. However, he said he would not stand in the way of legislators voting for their own increase.

 

[Hal 341]

On 12/4/2023 at 10:05 PM, Chris said:

Somehow, who voted how surprises me very little.

Same here … yep , Some old Stuff In it for the money and or future benefits.

Edited December 6, 2023 by Hal

[Chris 2,192]

🙄

What ever helps you sleep at night Joe. But guess what? A lot of us haven’t gotten raises that have kept up with the rate of inflation. As to the argument that it’s “fair for the work we do”, I’ll once again refer to my above, uh, literary reference:

Again, I applaud McCarthy, Morse and the others who voted against giving themselves a pay raise. 

[Hal 341]

So … exactly what is Brennans definition of “work” ?! Wouldn’t it be great if us plebes could be paid fairly for actual work … we could if we were allowed to arbitrarily give ourselves raises ! 

[MsKreed 1,191]

I missed where he posted that garbage. 

I'd love to hear more of what Joe considers "better government". 

 

[Chris 2,192]

4 hours ago, MsKreed said:

I missed where he posted that garbage. 

I'd love to hear more of what Joe considers "better government". 

 

You can find it in response to a post on this page.

In a follow up, apparently just doing the job you were elected to do in the first place is enough to justify giving yourself a raise:

 

[Adam 375]

9 hours ago, Chris said:

You can find it in response to a post on this page.

In a follow up, apparently just doing the job you were elected to do in the first place is enough to justify giving yourself a raise:

 

i can only see 3 actual posts there....truth must've pissed off more people than i thought over the years

[MsKreed 1,191]

8 hours ago, Adam said:

i can only see 3 actual posts there

That's FB completely useless algorithm that arbitrarily decides what is or is not "relevant".  I am constantly forced to select "All comments" when checking comments on any page I visit. 

[KarenK 384]

That drives me nuts.  Especially when it's on my own page and on something I posted.  

[Chris 2,192]

If you’re blocked from Joe’s legislator page, you’re not going to see anything he posts using it. Even on other pages apparently.

Legally deemed a violation of your civil rights by the courts, but Joe only cares about freedom for those who agree with him.

[MsKreed 1,191]

I admit I'm a bit confused. 

Before last week's Special Meeting to vote on the 2024 Budget, I thought I'd seen some source (WETM and/or legislator?) refer to the pay raise being voting on at the regular Legislature Meeting tonight (12/11).  I assumed I'd recalled that wrong when they voted last week (12/04) and Moss announced that he signed the Budget. 

However......the Agenda for tonight (linked HERE) does in fact include a resolution specifically for the Legislative pay. 

Perhaps @Lawana Morse can clarify if (like the ARP funds) expenditures in the Budget require a separate vote to finalize??? 

(Although I'm sure it's very improbable to hope that one of the eight will swing their vote from last week.)

[Adam 375]

On 12/9/2023 at 7:25 AM, MsKreed said:

That's FB completely useless algorithm that arbitrarily decides what is or is not "relevant".  I am constantly forced to select "All comments" when checking comments on any page I visit. 

yeas, that drives me insane, but he blocked me quite a while back, ive always been respectful, but hit hard with factual ammo, so now i have found a work around, to at least be able to monitor his hypocritical lunacy

[MsKreed 1,191]

This week's Full Legislature meeting had a video issue, so the live stream and recorded video were not available. 

The minutes are online (THIS link) where there was discussion among the legislators regarding Resolution 23-667 "Resolution designating salaries for County Legislators for 2024":

I'm more than a little skeptical of Mr. Stermer's math.  At their 2023 current salary of $17,591......his $3.62 per hour "rough calculation" would require him to spend 4,859 hours "working" for his constituents during the year.....over 93 hours every week. 

Who actually believes that????? 

I found it disappoint that, even though Brennan was absent, the arguments by Stermer and Sweet were apparently compelling enough to swing a Legislator who'd voted against the raises the prior week to support the final resolution.

[Chris 2,192]

2 hours ago, MsKreed said:

I found it disappoint that, even though Brennan was absent, the arguments by Stermer and Sweet were apparently compelling enough to swing a Legislator who'd voted against the raises the prior week to support the final resolution

Believe me, no one is more disappointed than me, one of his constituents.

 

2 hours ago, MsKreed said:

I'm more than a little skeptical of Mr. Stermer's math.  At their 2023 current salary of $17,591......his $3.62 per hour "rough calculation" would require him to spend 4,859 hours "working" for his constituents during the year.....over 93 hours every week. 

I’d like to see Brett’s definition of “hard work.” I guarantee it’s not the same hard work many of the people of this county do, in part to pay his goddamned salary.

I am so disgusted with the local “leadership,” with few exceptions ( Lawana, Bill, and Jim to name a couple.)

[Lawana Morse 55]

On 11/22/2023 at 12:14 PM, KarenK said:

I want to know how they will implement the new term limits after the first of the year.  That was a landslide in favor.

These are immediately implemented retroactive to 1/1/2023. So everyone now will be in the first term of the 3 year limit.