Cancelled Meetings

The Saratoga Board of Supervisors Must Reopen to Address Emergent Issues

 

The Saratoga Board of Supervisors Must Reopen to Address Emergent Issues

A Petition

From the Taxpayers of Saratoga County, NY

To the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors

Opposing the cancellation of public meetings by the BOS and the suspension of representative government in Saratoga County, NY

We; the undersigned taxpayers are writing in opposition to the cancellation of the April 21 regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors by Chairman Preston Allen and Administrator Spencer Hellwig. We believe they, along with Director of Human Resources McNamara, Supervisor Wood of the Town of Saratoga and Supervisor Pemerick of Greenfield conspired to abuse the power afforded to them by the Board of Supervisors in response to the Covid-19 crisis and are now avoiding a public meeting at all costs to prevent accountability for their abuses.

On March 17, 2020 during a law and finance committee meeting of the County Board of Supervisors Marcy McNamara, County Director Human Resources, in presence of County Administrator and other Board Members claimed that County employees may “fake sick” during the crisis, and that a 50% pay raise was needed to keep them coming in to work. Director McNamara and Administrator Hellwig and other County Leadership received the immediate pay raise as essential employees. They have now rescinded it for all field employees, elected officials and managers, continuing the raise for emergency command center employees.

Furthermore, we believe the Committee of 5 enacting the pay raise did so unilaterally, in a gross over reach and in violation of the Open Meetings Law , as the public was not invited for comment and possibly in violation of state gouging law. Now the same leaders are refusing the efforts of 10 Supervisors representing 72% of the weighted vote of the County to hold regular or special meetings so that they may not slow down in their action .

Furthermore, it has become clear that the Governor of New York’s PAUSE order and general concern for public health has dramatically altered the sales tax income, mortgage tax income and State Aid for the County. Hellwig and Allen are refusing to address concerns that the budget should be altered to reflect this reality, and the reality that the Saratoga Track Meet may be suspended or severely curtailed .

We call upon the Board of Supervisors to meet and let representative government work as intended .

Public health is largely accomplished at the County level and the BOS should be meeting more rather than less at this time to address the fiscal and public health needs of the County.

WHEREAS, Marcy McNamara, Spencer Hellwig, Preston Allen and various County Supervisors were given emergency powers by the Board of Supervisors which they immediately used without input from the public, and

WHEREAS, The County’s cash reserves are being rapidly drained, and

WHEREAS, The County’s tax revenues will drop significantly as sales tax, mortgage tax and State Aid revenues drop, and

WHEREAS, The County’s employees did not threaten any sort of staffing shortage through their union representatives and,

WHEREAS, County Leadership acted in their own best interest to gouge the taxpayers, and

WHEREAS, County Leadership is compelled by the County Charter under “shall” language to meet regularly and,

WHEREAS, Administrator Hellwig and Chairman Allen have provided no reason to cancel the meeting and,

WHEREAS, Appropriate technology exists at little to no cost to the County to hold meetings remotely to promote social distancing and,

WHEREAS, Ten (10) Supervisors representing 72% of the County’s weighted vote are calling for an examination of the power of Committee of 5 and the County budget.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED ,

That we urge the Saratoga Board of Supervisors to immediately schedule an emergency meeting or restore the April 21 regular meeting per the request of 10 County Supervisors representing 72% of the County’s population , and

Rescind the power of the Committee of 5 consisting of Chairman Preston Allen of the Town of Day, Administrator Spencer Hellwig, Director of Human Resources McNamara, Supervisor Wood of the Town of Saratoga and Supervisor Pemerick of Greenfield in full and,

Open an immediate investigation into the legality of the process used to give these raises, and

Provide all essential employees the pay, including over time, they are entitled to along with the equipment they need to safely do their jobs, and

Call a vote of no confidence in Chairman Preston Allen and,

Immediately dismiss Spencer Hellwig and Marcy McNamara for defrauding taxpayers.

Return the County to fiscal responsibility and end the tyranny of unelected administrators who have challenged the honor of our first responders, gouged tax payers and hidden their actions from the public!