LETTER: Revenues Not Problem; Expenses Are

To the Editor:
Mayor Booan’s efforts to research cost savings shows that he comprehends what we need to do to fix our streets.  The mayor’s vocal opponents are constantly crying that the village needs more and more revenues through paid parking and higher property taxes.  However, an examination of village finances over the years reveals that insufficient revenues are not the problem.
Over the last nine years, revenues have increased 65 percent.  In 2001-02, the size of the village general fund budget was $1,926,501.   Nine years later, it is $3,180,863.  Again, that is a 65 percent increase for village government.  So why have our streets deteriorated so badly over that time?
The answer is that village government has not controlled spending on items unrelated to street reconstruction.  For example, in 2001-02 employment benefits totaled $217,684 per year.  Nine  years later they total $636,196 per year.  That is an increase of almost 200 percent in nine years.       
The mayor’s opponents continue to push for paid parking on Main Street and higher property taxes.   In other words, they want to increase revenues because it’s easy, instead of managing spending because it’s hard.  Unless village government changes the way it spends money, more revenues simply spell more trouble over time.   
More efficient government is our only way out.  If village government had held general fund spending increases over 9 years to a rate equal to inflation, we would have an additional $800,000 each budget year.  Mayor Booan is doing exactly what we need him to do – he is researching ways to deliver services more efficiently in order to set aside money for street reconstruction projects and lower taxes. 
The candidates endorsed by the Republican Party are promising to “streamline operations so we can pay for fixing our infrastructure” and “hold down property taxes by controlling village spending.”  Their platform shows that they understand what our mayor is trying to do and together support his efforts.  Anyone sincerely interested in the future of Cooperstown should likewise support them on March 15. 
ERIC HAGE
Cooperstown