Dear Editor,

Every once in a while it’s necessary to set the record straight. This letter is in response to letters and articles by some of the Republicans running for Ulster County Legislature. They keep pointing out that the new form of county executive government is too expensive (or variations on a theme such as the government is top heavy, or executive and staff are paid too much or we didn't know the cost before voting on the charter). What they fail to point out is that our new form of government is saving taxpayers far more money than the cost. Because of the new structure, the executive and staff can work quickly to identify and solve problems, making county government much more responsive. We have identified and implemented numerous opportunities to save money including:

• Offering retirement incentives to certain employees – up to $6.6 million savings over 5 years
  
• Instituting an aggressive attrition program - $3.3 million savings in 2009
• Renovation of office space at 1/3 estimated cost - $419 thousand savings

Department by department savings

Public Works - $215 thousand
Information Services - $179 thousand
Self Insurance / Liability Renewal - $150 thousand
Golden Hill Electronic Health Records - $95 thousand
Attorney Savings - $18 thousand
Department of Environment - $3 thousand

Another misleading statement that has been repeated several times needs to be addressed is that “county taxes have gone up over 49% since 2006”. What the Republicans touting this don’t realize, or they are deliberately misleading the public, is that the last Republican administration raised our 2006 property taxes by 39%. Since taking over in 2006, Democrats have been making great strides in getting runaway county spending in line and have been able to keep property tax increases to less than the rate of inflation. In Ulster County, Democrats have a far better fiscal record than Republicans. One just has to look at the facts. Our fiscal savings speak for themselves!

Sincerely,

Gary Bischoff
Ulster County Legislator
845-246-6858 or via email

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