CAMBRIDGE — Hubbard Hall Center for the Arts and Education presents the world premiere of Grant’s Ghost, by Warren Schultz, on Nov. 18-20. 

In the waning days of his life, President Ulysses S. Grant was broken. Having lost his family fortune in a bad business deal and dying of throat cancer, Grant turned to the one thing he possessed of value to save his family: his own story. 

Over weeks and months in upstate New York, Grant raced against time to complete his memoir before his life came to an end. With one final creative act, he saved his family, restored their fortune, and passed on his life story for generations to come. 

But what if his memoir didn’t tell it all? What if secrets were missing? What if Grant actually wrote two memoirs? In Grant’s Ghost, local playwright Warren Schultz portrays Grant’s last days, as Ulysses S. Grant worked with Mark Twain to complete his memoir, struggled with his past, and envisioned a brighter future for his beloved country.

Grant’s Ghost runs Nov. 18-20, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20. Tickets are $25 Adults and $10 Students ages 18 and under.  Hubbard Hall is located at 25 E. Main St., Cambridge. For more info, call: 518-677-2495. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The second Public Hearing regarding Saratoga Springs’ proposed 2023 budget was held Nov. 1 at City Hall. As was the case during the first public hearing, which was staged in mid-October, no one from the community stepped forward to be heard. 

The city is proposing a $54.21 million spending plan in 2023, up slightly from $54.19 million plan in effect this year. 

“We see our budget not just as a policy document for our city but also a road map and a moral compass for what our community prioritizes,” said city Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi. “Our primary goal when making this budget was to ensure there were no cuts to our excellent and much needed city services, as well as no layoffs of our city employees.” 

During the City Council meeting Nov. 1, Commissioner Sanghvi provided a year-to-date collection report.  “Our 2022 collection for Sales Tax stands at $11.6 million right now, our Mortgage Tax at $2.1 million, and our Occupancy Tax at $572,000 – these are very good numbers for 2022,” she said.  

A “critical priority” in this year’s plan is budgeting for the city’s 3rd EMS/ Fire Station. The long-debated third station will serve residents of the city’s eastern plateau. Just over $7 million was bonded in 2022 for building the fire station and additional $1.4 million is slated to be bonded in 2023 for cost overages due to inflation and supply chain shortages. 

Sanghvi said considering 8% inflation and the “once-in-a-generation undertaking of a EMS/ fire station,” the plan proposes a Real Property Tax increase from $6.43 to $6.67 for Inside District and from $6.37 to $6.61 for the Outside District – an average increase of 3.72%. That increase translates to the following: if a house is assessed at $200,000, owners will pay $4 per month more on their property tax, $6 per month more if assessed at $300,000, $8 per month more if assessed at $400,000.

Independent department budget workshops have been held through October. A budget must be finalized by Nov. 30.  

“During the month of November, we will make final revisions and bring it to the City Council,” Sanghvi said. 

BALLSTON SPA — Budget season is underway at the Saratoga County complex in Ballston Spa, with supervisors in discussion regarding a proposed $378.3 million spending plan for 2023.

This year’s annual county budget – at $381.6 million – represented a near $11 million increase over 2021. Hitting the target proposal in 2023 would represent a $3.29 million decrease compared to 2022. 

Additionally, the tentative plan would, for the for the first time in six years, not use county fund balance reserves, and reduce the county’s Property Tax Rate by 5%, keeping it under the tax cap, says Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Chairman Theodore Kusnierz, Jr. 

“With uncertain financial times ahead, homeowners will receive much needed relief with a 5% property tax reduction through a balanced budget that doesn’t borrow from the county’s fund balance,” Kusnierz said. “Importantly, the budget upholds our fiscally responsible practices, continues to provide vital programs and services to our residents, supports public safety and public health initiatives, and makes smart investments in economic development.”

The proposed plan maintains funding for important programs and services, says County Administrator Steve Bulger. “In the wake of increasing inflation, soaring costs for goods and services, and an uncertain national economic environment, the County is tightening its financial belt while continuing to make key investments in services and programs to sustain the quality-of-life Saratoga County residents enjoy.” 

The plan would keep the levy within the tax cap and provide homeowners the lowest property tax rate in the State at $2.12 per $1,000 of assessed value, according to the county. 

The County sales tax revenue projection is $150 million, a decrease of $4 million compared with 2021 sales tax receipts and approximately $8 million less than expected 2022 revenues.

Notable funding allocations includes nearly $53 million for investments in personnel, technology, and equipment for the District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, Probation Department, Public Defender’s Department, and Conflict Defender’s Office. 

Other notable allocations: 

• More than $600,000 to promote economic development and tourism. 

• Nearly $3 million for community development organizations that support initiatives including literacy   and career development, history and culture preservation, and agriculture and environmental conservation. 

• About $400,000 for the Farmland and Open Space Grant program to maintain the county’s extensive network of trails and open space. 

• Usage of $130,000 in Opioid Settlement funds that the county says will “create programs and provide services to connect families, veterans, and underserved populations with community-based treatment, rehabilitation, recovery, and support services related to opioid and substance use disorders.”

The Board of Supervisors will host a 2023 budget workshop at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 9 and has tentatively set a Dec. 14 date as a Special Board Meeting at the county complex in Ballston Spa for the 2023 Budget Adoption.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city-based Code Blue winter emergency shelter on Adelphi Street is now open every night, Shelters of Saratoga announced Oct. 26.  

The venue will provide nightly shelter from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. until April 2023. 

Additionally, on days when the temperature drops below 32 degrees, daytime respite with a navigation center where community partner agencies provide client services will be available. Services this winter have expanded to include case management, which provides the means for guests to move out of homelessness.

The building which houses the shelter, located just off South Broadway, is leased through April 30, 2023 at a cost of $8,000 per month.  

Plans were unveiled in October to site a permanent 24/7 year-round shelter on city-owned property at the soon-to-be-vacated Senior Center on Williams Street. Proposals call for the development of the low barrier shelter and navigation center to be operational in early 2023. 

The city expressed interest in also pursuing the possibility of constructing about 40 affordable housing apartments in an adjacent space on the parcel that would assist residents in their transitioning process – a continuum of care with the ultimate goal of helping people move from homelessness to sustained housing on their own.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —A 30-year-old man was found dead in Congress Park early Monday. 

According to Saratoga Springs Police shortly at approximately 12:19 a.m. Monday, a request for assistance to locate a missing person believed to be in downtown Saratoga Springs was received by local authorities from the Colonie Police Department. 

The man was found at 2:01 a.m. deceased in the pond by the war memorial, police said.

“Based on the information that we discovered, including a review of the city cameras, the male was alone at the time and there is nothing to indicate any foul play,” city police said, in a statement released Tuesday morning.  “An autopsy was conducted and currently there does not appear to be any criminal aspect to the investigation. Toxicology is pending.”

The name of the man is being withheld, out of respect for the family, according to the statement.