[Announce] Wanted: Ideas!

Sat Jun 23 15:06:11 MDT 2007

 Response to James Travers.

Yes, I do have ideas that I was going to make.  I suggested them to Willard
Bruce the Commissioner of OGS and he was the one who told me that I should
tell them to Tom Nitido, City Comptroller and Chris Hearley, Budget
Director.  I have made many of my suggestions at Common Council meetings.
 Mr. Bruce said that so far nothing else is being done to research into more
funding to supplement the landfill revenue.  If the City Council don't seem
able to come up with alternatives, I feel that we the people, who do not
want that smelly dump in the Pinebush ( which should never have been put
there in the first place), could make suggestions and put pressure on this
weak administration to come up with solutions.

Here is what I have so far:

Install solar panels on all flat top buildings (SUNYA, OGS, the South Mall,
etc.), selling the electricity back to the provider.  Request the State to
help fund the installation.

Install sufficient collectors to collect *all *the methane gas from the
landfill, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and generating revenue by
using it for the City or selling it.

Install windmills in open areas to generate power, possibly Coeymans.

Make abandoned buildings into "collection sites" for usable furniture and
household goods left by students when they leave and also general
households.  Non profits could run them and pay rent for the buildings.

Separate out wood, metals, other plastics, plate glass, builders' rubble,
tires, roofing shingles, etc., all of which can be sold to plants for
reuse.  This would bring in revenue and also remove huge amounts from being
deposited into the landfill.

Your suggestion to meet with the Mayor. -  I have tried on numerous
occasions to speak with him, but have not so far succeeded in getting an
interview.  He did however, tell me to speak with one of his deputies which
I did who was very impressed and told me that he would send all my
suggestions to Willard Bruce and he would get back with me.  I never heard
back and this was over 6 months ago.  This was why I went to see Willard
Bruce on my own.  He liked my ideas too, but said his hands were tied and
that I should speak with the City Comptroller.  This is why I am planning on
going and was hoping that I could get more suggestions to add more weight to
the suggestions.

Sally Cummings

On 6/23/07, James Travers <jatrav at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Sally,
>
> With all due respect, what ideas do *you* have on how to replace the lost
> revenue that the landfill closing will result in? Surely you must have some.
> By sharing what your proposals are, we may also avoid making redundant
> suggestions.
>
> That said, I would suggest that prior to your meeting with Nitido you
> first survey the members of the Common Council to gather their input on what
> they may have thoughts on or have already suggested to offset the revenue
> shortfall the landfill closing will cause. If any have done so already, this
> will also avoid redundancy.
>
> Next, and again before meeting with the city comptroller, I would suggest
> you meet with the Mayor to hear what his ideas he has to offset the lost
> revenue, if any at all.
>
> Then, after gleaning the thoughts and suggestions of our elected
> officials, and having completed compiling our input, is when you should meet
> with the comptroller.
>
> While I find it a bit onerous that we are the ones who are pressured to
> come up with a way to solve the fiscal mismanagement of the city's finances
> instead of our elected officials, regardless of this, I will gather my
> thoughts on this and offer you a few suggestions. But some may be unpopular.
>
>
> All will in part or completely replace the lost revenue.
>
> For now, here's a few:
>
> 1)   An income tax for all city residents and city employees living
>       outside the city.
>
> 2)   A fee charged to all households and businesses for trash pick
>       up,removal and disposal.
>
> 3)   Take through the city's power of eminent domain all
>        abandoned or vacant for three years properties, rehab them and
>        get them back on the tax rolls. This will restore not only a huge
>        amount of money to the budget, but will alleviate many of the
>        city's problems its blighted neighborhoods present. (Also, it's
>        hard to fairly evaluate an immaculate and well kept home if the
>        adjoining properties are decrepit shells.)
>
> Lastly, in closing I would add that there's really no problem at all in
> finding the funds to replace the budgetary shortfall.
>
> How's that?
>
> If the city can come up with a few hundred million dollars for an unwanted
> and doomed for failure convention center then the city's administrators
> should have no problem at all finding the funds to replace the pittance in
> comparison monies lost to the city's coffers created by the landfill 's
> closing.
>
> For more than a few years I and many others have been providing Mike
> O'Brien and the other Common Council members with many, many viable
> options to enhance the city's revenue stream to replace that lost if the
> landfill is closed. We have encouraged city's leaders at every turn to get
> out of the dirty, scandal ridden and corrupt solid waste business.
>
> Nothing, absolutely nothing at all has been proposed by any CC member
> to help offset this lost revenue stream in all that time.
>
> Not even an enhanced recycling program has been proposed, as is required
> in their long term solid waste plan and their current landfill operating
> permit, because it would reduce the flow of trucks across the scales and
> hence, their tipping fees.
>
> This administration seems to want to continue doing business with that mob
> of waste haulers regardless of what the citizens who put them in office
> think or desire for their city.
>
> I'll be send you much more over the course of next week.
>
> Jim Travers
>
> *Sally Cummings <sbgarden at gmail.com>* wrote:
>
>
> To help the City of Albany become financially solvent without using the
> landfill revenue to support/balance the budget, I am planning on speaking to
> the City Comptroller to give him the ideas.  I am thinking that perhaps
> several different funding sources could be suggested that, together would
> bring in the needed income.
>
> Please email me your ideas as soon as possible.  They still have it on
> their plans to go ahead with the expansion, in spite of all the opposition.
> I have been told that it is a "done deal", so we have to get our ideas in to
> them soon to try and head them off!
>
> I believe that they agree that it is not the best solution, but they do
> not know of any other way to balance the budget.
>
> Any ideas you have, however small, would be gratefully appreciated.
>
> Sally Cummings
>
> Happy people don't have the best of everything but make the best of
> everything they have
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-- 
Sally

Happy people don't have the best of everything but make the best of
everything they have
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