CITIZEN NANCY ?: Calling Mayor Johnson:

For Immediate Release:

Saratoga Citizen, the non-partisan citizen?s group in Saratoga Springs, is calling upon the Mayor and City Council to address and complete a contractual issue with National Grid that could be costing the city in excess of $80,000 a year.

For over a decade, the City of Saratoga Springs has leased a large tract of land on Weibel Avenue to National Grid. The monthly payments to the city remain at $5,400 under the terms of a lease agreement that expired nearly four years ago.

Since that time, there have been no successful efforts by the Mayor and council to re-sign National Grid to a new multi-year agreement. National Grid has contacted the city about a long-term contract in the past, but has not received any agreements.

The current monthly payments fall well below current commercial rental market rates. Real estate professionals contacted by Saratoga Citizen estimated the market rate for the parcel at $12,500 per month.

The impact of this ?lost opportunity? on Saratoga Springs is approximately $300,000. As each day goes by, the city?s taxpayers lose more money.

??This is a perfect example of how a part-time governmental management strategy is costing the taxpayers dearly,? said Patrick Kane, co-founder of Saratoga Citizen. ?A $300,000 loss is a very serious oversight.?

In addition, the money that the City of Saratoga Springs has received from National Grid - in excess of $525,000 - in its outdated lease agreement has not been used. It sits in a special account originally designed to ?refurbish? the site once National Grid moved out. There are no plans to return the revenue earned from the lease to taxpayers.

For details contact Patrick Kane 857-6129

Source: http://nancymuldoon.blogspot.com/2012/10/calling-mayor-johnson.html

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