What city residents need is tax relief; what they don't need is another slush fund

Tom Kaczynski (Courtesy photo)

The City of Rochester has a big problem-too much money!

You see, over the years, they accumulated more money than they needed to run the city. It ended up in the Unassigned Fund Balance, in essence a slush fund of 29 million dollars! This is over taxation. They are so flush with money, they are looking to create 3 mini slush funds for Fire Apparatus, Public Works Apparatus, and a City Buildings Capital Reserve Fund - $500,000 in each fund.

There has been a frenzy at the last several Council Meetings to create these and other special "slush" funds before the budget meetings begin. Why the rush?

For years, the capital spending requests have been included in the CIP Budget, adopted each year for as-needed projects and equipment in an orderly manner.

The trend now is to adopt a budget in June which "conforms" to the Tax and Spending Cap. After the July 1 start of the fiscal year the huge transfers of cash begin.

As many as 50 supplemental appropriations occurred since last July, in effect overriding the Cap.

In 2008, 71 percent of Rochester voters - 9,755 residents - voted for the Tax and Spending Cap.

We expected lower spending and taxes and should be very disappointed. We have been harmed by being forced to pay higher taxes than we should due to these sneaky measures.

The City Council should reject this attempt to create more slush funds, complicating our finances in an effort to confuse anyone trying to follow this shell game. Instead, give this huge excess back to the taxpayers in the form of tax reduction.

After all the suffering incurred as a result of the pandemic, that is the least they can do.

Tom Kaczynski is a state rep for District 22 and a longtime Rochester resident.