Letters to the Editor

Further Details, Please
 
Dear Editor,
On the evening of September 4, the southern part of Rye City experienced a flurry of police activity including vehicles and helicopters. When my neighbors and I called the non-emergency number we were informed by the desk sergeant that there was an operation ongoing, but he would not provide any further details.
I do not understand why the citizens of Rye should not be informed of the nature of such a situation, so that they might decide on any action to take to protect themselves or loved ones. Was a child missing, a car stolen, an armed robbery interrupted, or a domestic tragedy unwinding? This information could have and should have been provided.
I can receive a Reverse 911 call about an impending storm but cannot be told why police cars are racing down my street or helicopters are circling overhead. This is not what I, as a resident and taxpayer, would expect from the City of Rye.
Sincerely,
Roland R. Rizzi, M. D.
 
Not in My Recycling Bags
 
Dear Editor,
I was shocked the other morning to find four small, bright blue, tightly knotted bags containing dog poop in the bag of yard waste I had put out for pickup. What was my neighbor thinking — that the DPW men would take them? That they would remove them and then take my bag? Doubtful.  
Maybe she/he was thinking I was lucky the dog waste was in bags! YUCK.                                 
Sincerely,
Cintra Badenhausen  
 
Let the Community Spirit Live
 
Dear Editor,
On Sunday, September 21, as the Westchester Triathlon got underway, a group of budding young musicians took to the streets and played their hearts out in support of the athletes. The brainchild of the outdoor concert was a 14-year-old bass player whose father, an avid triathlete, tragically passed away of pancreatic cancer in June.  The musical tribute was to honor his memory — and honor him it did. The smiles and signs of appreciation from each and every athlete who pushed through “Michael’s Hill” (including Jennifer Swain, his wife, who ran to honor her late husband) made the performance especially poignant.
Then, someone called the police to complain.
Now, I loathe the sound of jackhammers in the morning the same as any other small-town citizen. But where is our sense of community spirit?  Where is our compassion? As our kids would say, “I’m not feeling the love.”
In these times of financial crisis, political unrest and climate concerns, can’t we all just have some courtesy, some sympathy, and some taste?
Sincerely,
Paulette Mann
 
Make Time for the Pledge
 
The following letter was sent to President George Bush and the New York State School Board Association and forwarded to us by the author for publication.
 
Dear Mr. President,
This may seem like a strange request, but after two years of petitioning the Rye City School Board to take time to salute the flag at the beginning of their regular public meetings, they have finally answered in the negative.
Can you believe that a publicly elected board declines to do what all the students and administrators do before class each morning? The Board has discussed this and says, because they took the oath of office that includes a plege to uphold the Constitution, they do not see any need for the Pledge of Allegiance.
According to my research of the New York State and National School Boards associations, there is no policy or rule that says they should or should not. Now is the time for such action, and I am asking you if it is proper for you to issue a Federal ruling on publicly elected officials saluting the flag.
Our City Council does it before each of their public meetings. If that flag were not flying they would not have been elected in the first place.
Sincerely,
Jeanne Sinnott
 
The author was a member of the Rye City School Board for 11 years.
 
On Surpluses and What to Do About Them
 
An article in a recent issue of The Rye Record, “Rye’s 2007 Revenues Exceed Expectations” goes on to read,  “Revenues … exceeded the budget for 2007 by $1.8 million”.
The actual operating surplus for 2007 was $1,200,000 and, for 2006, $1,000,000.
Is this good news?  Yes and no.
Rye is expensive and it should be because of all the services that we receive and the extraordinary lifestyle made available to us by our taxes.
However, our taxes are too high.
I recognize budgeting is an art not a science but, as I pointed out last autumn (and the preceding autumn) when we were considering the budgets for the following years, Rye’s net revenues have exceeded expectations for years.
Accordingly, I recommended that we apply some portion of the anticipated surplus for 2007 (which was then baked in to results for the 10 months then ended) to reduce the 2008 burden on the taxpayer.
This went nowhere just as my similar suggestion for the prior year to reduce the tax burden in 2007 by an amount equal to some portion of the 2006 anticipated surplus went nowhere, my colleagues rejecting both suggestions.
If $900,000 of the anticipated 2007 surplus (which was then known) had been applied to 2008 taxes, everyone’s taxes would be lower by 5% while surplus would still have increased.
One may well ask: “What’s the problem? Aren’t we benefited over the long term?”
I don’t believe so because the excess monies end up, broadly stated, as “undesignated surplus” which, again broadly stated, is a slush fund which can be used as the City Council wishes.
Currently, the aggregate of the undesignated surplus is now more than three times the City’s policy guidelines of 5% of revenue. The result is you end up with a situation where the Council can use monies as it chooses for purposes which might otherwise require voter approval of bond issues, e.g. dams, bridges, purchase of CVS.
For the most part, assuming good faith going forward on the part of the Council, this should not be a problem.
However, there are several fail-safes built into our system, including the requirement of obtaining voter approval for bond issues meant to finance capital improvements, which can be ignored if the dollar amount of undesignated surplus is sufficient. Essentially, having built up a huge surplus over time by higher taxes than necessary to cover current operating costs, one is free to use the surplus as one wishes.
I think this is wrong and creates needless temptation.
Going forward, I recommend to the Council that, in figuring taxes for 2009, close attention be paid to where we stand as at the end of October and, to the extent we again are looking at a significant surplus, some significant portion of that anticipated surplus be applied to reduce 2009 taxes.
Sincerely,
Gerry Seitz