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Mark Grimm and Warren Redlich state that Ken Runion has made inconsistent statements on sales tax revenue in Guilderland. This is incorrect and his statements concerning sales tax revenue have been entirely consistent based on information available at the time the statements were made.
Ken Runion proposes the Guilderland town budget in September of each year and it is adopted in the first week of November. In planning the budget, Ken Runion always look at what the town has received in sales tax from the prior year and compares it to the current year. In 2008, the town received over $10.4 million in sales tax. Anticipating that the economy was flat in September, Ken Runion budgeted for a little over $10 million in sales tax to be received in 2009, $400,000 less than what we had received in 2008. At the budget meeting Mark Grimm and Warren Redlich asked if Ken Runion felt the town could meet the sales tax projections. Based on the data available the first week in November 2008, he thought it could.
After the budget was adopted November 6, 2008, the economy went into a serious downward spiral. The stock market crashed at the end of November and large companies began to go into bankruptcy in December. As a result of these warning signs, Ken Runion began to re-work the 2009 budget figures. Ken Runion required all departments to curtail spending. He instituted a hiring freeze and any new positions created under the 2009 budget were placed on hold.
In January 2009, the town received its quarterly sales tax payment from the county. In comparing the January 2008 payment to the January 2009 payment, the town saw that the economy was much worse than what was expected at the end of October 2008. At that point (January 2009), Ken Runion re-adjusted the 2009 budget to reflect revenues of $9.7 million from sales tax rather than the $10 million anticipated in November. Ken Runion's next step was to balance the budget based on anticipating less sales tax revenue.
During January and February, 2009, Ken Runion re-negotiated contracts with the unions to reduce over-time expenses and labor costs which is approximately 60% of the town budget. He also forced departments to reduce costs for supplies and equipment. Based on the steps he has taken to date, the town will save $400,000 during the 2009 budget year. This will balance the 2009 budget.
Ken Runion believes Mark Grimm's and Warren Redlich's confusion is due to their basic lack of understanding of town government and the budget process. Warren Redlich claims he was not advised of the above. This information was explained at a Guilderland Town Board meeting in Feruary of 2009. Warren Redlich did not attend the meeting because he was on vacation in the Caribbean. Unfortunately neither, Mark Grimm nor Warren Redlich, is willing to learn. Their constant focus since being elected has been attacks on public officials rather than working to better the quality of life of town residents.
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