HomeMy WebLinkAboutDRAFT 2026-03-09 Special Town Board Meeting Minutes
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Town of Danby
Town Board Special Meeting Minutes
Held Tuesday, March 9th at 12pm, at the Danby Town Hall
Board Members Present: Joel Gagnon, Town Supervisor
Mariah Dillon
Zachary Larkins
Mark Pruce
Board Member Absent: Leslie Connors
Town Staff and Officials: Blake Savoy, Town Clerk
Laura Shawley, Town Bookkeeper
The meeting was delayed due to technical difficulties.
Meeting Called to Order at 12:20pm
Additions/Deletions to the Agenda
-None
Part Time/Full Time Positions and the Bookkeeper to the Supervisor Position
The Board discussed the current status of benefits for part-time employees. Sick
leave, vacation, and holiday pay are both prorated based on an expected 40hr work week,
and are available to employees working more than 15hrs/week. There is nothing in the
employee handbook currently regarding health insurance benefits.
The Board discussed the Fair Labor Standards Act as it relates to hourly, salary, and
contractual employment within the Town. The Town currently does not offer health
insurance to part-time employees, but there is some precendent for doing so pro rata to the
hours worked compared to a 40hr work week. The Board discussed the expenses related to
providing health insurance, specifically noting an employee is responsible for 12% of the
cost and the Town pays the other 88%. Employees that are offered health insurance, but
receive health insurance elsewhere (such as a spouse), are also eligible for "health insurance
buyback", through which they receive a stipend for what they would pay for health
insurance. This decreases the Town's overall health insurance expense.
Supervisor Gagnon and Bookkeeper Shawley described a plan for her retirement as
Town Bookkeeper. As part of the process of finding a replacement, the position was put on
the Town's website, newsletter, and on the Tompkins County Civil Service jobs page as a full
time position for a salary of $51,600. It was noted that Shawley's current position is
overburdened, but she was reluctant to seek outside help given the associated costs. In light
of this, the prospective plan would be separating the job into two part-time positions, one for
the Bookkeeper and one for the Assistant to the Supervisor position.
It was announced that there were nine applications received for the full-time position.
One application was from Ted Jones, a former bookkeeper for the Town. Based on the plan
to separate the job duties, Supervisor Gagnon asked if the applicants would be interested in
a part-time Assistant to the Supervisor position instead. Two applicants said they would be
interested.
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The three positions included in the plan would be a bookkeeper, accounting assistant,
and payroll clerk. The bookkeeper would responsible for cash management, checking funds,
coordinating with the payroll clerk, budget management, check printing for vouchers,
account transfers, budget creation with the Board, attending Board meetings, and preparing
monthly reports. The payroll clerk would be responsible for payroll and payroll-related
taxes, paycheck printing, preparing quarterly and monthly reports for the retirement system,
as well as State and federal agencies, and attending health insurance meetings. The
accounting assistant position, currently held by Julia Hughes, would be responsible for
Julia's current duties and pick up some of the smaller responsibilities not currently covered
by these roles.
The Board discussed health insurance, and the past precedent for health insurance
being offered pro rata, including the buyback reimbursement for those with external health
insurance. It was noted that any changes to these policies would apply for part-time
employees working over 15hrs/wk, but not seasonal employees.
Bookkeeper Shawley said she would run figures for two positions at 18hrs/wk at
$24.82/hr and health insurance. She also stated that her roles as Highway Secretary would
be shifted between herself and Deputy Highway Superintendent Jack Shawley while she is
recovering from health issues. Supervisor Gagnon and Bookkeeper Shawley referenced Ted
Jones, formerly the Town's Bookkeeper, as the appointee for the bookkeeper position, noting
his ability to aid in the transition. They also expressed a desire for redundancy within these
positions, including cross training.
The Board also discussed a need to review the current employee handbook and
potential updates to be made. They discussed next steps, including contacting applicants
regarding if they'd be interested in a part time position, prioritizing payroll transition as a
first training task, and reviewing the figures for part time employees and health insurance.
No actions were taken at this meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:29pm.