No preview available
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-10-250 10 I tf 10 -25 -M TOWN OF DRYDEN TOWN BOARD MEETING Budget Workshop October 25, 2000 Board Members Present: Supv Mark Varvayanis, Cl Ronald Beck, Cl Thomas Hatfield, Cl Charles Hatfield, Cl Deborah Grantham Other Town Staff: Dianne McFall, Assistant Budget Officer Note: Town Clerk was not able to be present. Meeting was recorded. Supv Varvayanis called the meeting to order at 7:50 am. He explained that it was necessary for the board to pass a resolution to be included with the application being submitted by the joint sewer committee. RESOLUTION #253 - 1996 CLEAN WATER / CLEAN AIR BOND ACT - TITLE 56 -0303 WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION FUND ARTICLE 17 -14 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW; PERFORMANCE PARTNERSHIP GRANTS PUBLIC LAW 104 -134 NONAGRICULTURAL NONPOINT SOURCE PROJECTS MUNICIPAL RESOLUTION Resolution authorizing the items listed below pursuant to the Clean Water/ Clean Air Bond Act of 1996. Cl C Hatfield offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, the governing Town Board of the Town of Dryden herein called the "Municipality ", after thorough consideration of the various aspects of the problem and study of available data, has hereby determined that certain work, as described in its application and attachments, herein called the "Project ", is desirable, is in the public interest, and is required in order to implement the Project; and WHEREAS, Article 56 of the Environmental Conservation Law authorizes State assistance to municipalities for water qualify improvement projects by means of a contract and the Municipality deems it to be in the public interest and benefits under this law to enter into a contract therewith; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the governing Town Board of the Town of Dryden: 1. That the Town of Dryden Supervisor, Mark Varvayanis, or such person's successor in office, is the representative authorized to act in behalf of the Municipality's governing body in all matters related to State assistance under ECL Article 56, Title 3. The representative is also authorized to make application, execute the State Assistance Contract, submit Project documentation, and otherwise act for the municipality's governing body in all matters related to the Project and to State assistance; 2. That the Municipality agrees that it will fund its portion of the cost of the Project and that funds will be available to initiate the Project's field work within twelve (12) months of written approval of its application by the Department of Environmental Conservation; Pagc 1 of 8 TB 10 -25 -00 3. That one (1) certified copy of this Resolution be prepared and sent to the Albany • office of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation together with the Application for State Assistance Programs; 4. That this Resolution take effect immediately. 2nd Cl Grantham Roll Call Vote Cl Beck Yes Cl T Hatfield Yes Supv Varvayanis Yes Cl C Hatfield Yes Cl Grantham Yes It was noted that on page 29, the figure in column 3 for sander box includes the price of the grade all. Jack Bush would like to increase the figure for sander box for 2001 by $10,000 to $20,000. The mower listed under "Tractor /mower /hydro" will enable the operator to mow both sides of the ditch. Costs were obtained from state bid. Total for machinery is down from last year, but higher than 1999. Year to date figures are as of July, 2000. Cl C Hatfield asked whether the total budget for highway for 2000 will be expended. J Bush expects there will be plenty to roll over. D McFall stated there will be $10,000 left from personal services. Amount for sander box increased by $10,000, fund balance will be increased by $10,000. Board members discussed that last year Mr. Hattery from the Village had requested that all highway expenses excluding bridges be moved to "Torun Outside ", so that village residents are not assessed for highway expenses. Cl Grantham stated that she believed his reasoning was that the Village took care of its own roads, and Town residents did not • contribute toward that. D McFall stated it would make no difference in the bottom line, because the Village would not then benefit from the sales tax money as it would all be applied to town outside. Cl T Hatfield believes that Mr. Hattery's argument is hollow. Supv Varvayanis stated that Mr. Hattery admitted that it would make no difference in the end result. J Bush presented documentation on prices for sander boxes, hydroseeder, tractor and mower, and noted that anything costing more than $10,000 would have to be bid out anyway. The money previously reserved toward the radio replacement was removed. Supv Varvayanis believes that when the communication system replacement does happen, the County will pay for the radio upgrade. C1 T Hatfield stated that he believed the money had been put in a reserve fund previously, but it had not. On page 35, sales tax receipts are anticipated and applied to B and DB to bring it to zero. On page 46, the ambulance budget anticipates four full time employees (one being out on worker's comp). The addition of one full time position increases all the benefits. Money included for the building is because the town is paying for the building and will continue until August 2017. It is an annual payment on the bond principal and interest. It was noted that when a fire company sells a fire truck, they are entitled to the proceeds. The money previously reserved toward radio replacement was removed. Supv Varvayanis believes that when that does happen, the County will pay for the radio upgrade. Cl is T Hatfield stated that he believed the money had been put in a reserve fund, but it had not. Supv Varvayanis stated that when the upgrade does occur the County will pay for it. Jack Page 2 of 8 TB 10 -25 -00 Bush stated that he thinks we will be able to use the radio system that we currently have for • communicating with town employees in the trucks and purchase three or four radios in the new system to maintain contact with the County. The Town has capital reserve and could do a public hearing and take necessary funds for radio updates out of that. The board feels that if there is money in the Town budget earmarked for radio updates, the County will be reluctant to buy the Town's radios. Cl Beck noted there is nothing in the document the board is working from that shows the reserve funds. D McFall stated that information had been provided to the board in a different document. Page 47, Cl T Hatfield noted the figure for health insurance was high. D McFall noted that she had to plan for four family plans for the ambulance, and it is roughly $7,000 to $7,500 per family. Cl T Hatfield inquired about the expected revenues from the ambulance district on page 48. D McFall stated that the last month or so she has been receiving perhaps two checks per week, so she does not anticipate receiving what had been planned for. Cl T Hatfield would like to increase the expected revenues noting that the mileage now charged should amount to a significant increase, and proposed to increase the figure to $170,000. The $140,000 figure is based on what had been collected through July 2000. After further discussion, the board agreed to the increase due to the mileage charge and a possible increase in fees. On page 5 Cl C Hatfield noted that last year $25,000 had been budgeted for floor drain systems, this year it is $52,000. Jack Bush explained that would be to fix the whole storm sewer that runs through the building and tie it in to the sewer line at the street and include some kind of oil separation. This figure is rough; no actual figures have been obtained. A lot of • the work can be done by the highway department. Cl Grantham stated we should include maintenance in there, even if it is just disposing of the oil that is separated out. One of the main reasons those systems fail is lack of maintenance. D McFall noted that would be included in personal services. Now the Town pays by the gallon to have that oil disposed of. Cl C Hatfield noted a new line item on page 15, Community Centers, %vith an amount of $8,500.00. Supv Varvayanis explained that he had a request from some of the community centers for a fund that they could utilize if they came up with a program proposal on a competitive basis. They had previously asked for and received money from the Board to support the SrmmerFest event this past summer. This would set aside funds should the Board receive a request of that nature in the future. Cl C Hatfield noted that community centers succeed because of the people involved, not because of funds received from the Town. Cl Grantham stated the Town would need to develop an application process that contained criteria for what the Town wanted to fund, such as town wide activities. If the project does not meet the criteria, they would not receive the money. Cl C Hatfield stated he was concerned about misuse of this money, and it should not be used toward a capital project. Cl T Hatfield stated the funds should be available to community activity, not only events at community centers. The board decided to change the title to "Community Programs" and guidelines will be developed by the Board for the application process. Cl T Hatfield stated he did not see where many of the elected officials' salaries had been adjusted. Supv Varvayanis stated that the Clerk, the Justices and the Highway Superintendent got the same 2.4% increase as other employees. Cl T Hatfield stated he did not have a problem with raising the Supervisor since it had been initially reduced in the same way the Clerk's salary had been, noting that the number of meetings per year had been doubled. He believes that the Supervisor and board members should be raised. • Page 3 of 8 TB 10 -25 -00 Supv Varvayanis explained that he used 2.4% because that's what Social Security did • last year and since they've come out with 3.5 %. Social Security makes their announcement after the tentative budget comes out and Supv Varvayanis wondered if our budget should be adjusted now because next year when he does the tentative budget he'll use this year's number, and afterward they may lower it. The board felt they should stay with 2.4 %. Cl Grantham noted that two employees received a 5% increase, Kevin Ezell and :Debra Smiley. Cl T Hatfield noted they are taking on more responsibility. Cl T Hatfield stated that in considering the Highway Superintendent's salary a year ago, they were under the assumption that it included health insurance, however, a some time prior the policy of the Town was changed to exclude elected officials from receiving family health insurance coverage. The board was not aware of that until after the budget process last year. The Supervisor wondered if the board would like to put family coverage back on for the Clerk and Highway Superintendent. D McFall does not believe that it is necessary for elected officials and the policy cannot be changed now until the union negotiations are completed. The Highway Superintendent presently pays the difference in coverage out of pocket and Cl T Hatfield does not believe that was the board's intention. Jack Bush stated that last year his salary as acting highway deputy was $38,150 and according to D McFall you consider 40% benefits. That comes out to be in excess of $53,000. If you consider benefits at 30%, it comes out to $49,595. Cl T Hatfield stated that the proposed 2001 salary is $310 less than what Jack Bush made when he was an employee. He feels that the policy excluding elected officials from family medical coverage is not equitable. The Clerk and Highway Superintendent are full time positions, regardless of who is in it, and they ought to have the same benefits any other full time employee has, whether they are elected or not. He believes-an adjustment needs to be • made in this area. Jack Bush noted that the Town of Ithaca Highway Superintendent is making $52,000 plus health insurance and the Town of Lansing Highway Superintendent is making well into the $40,000 range and has health insurance. The Town of Groton Highway Superintendent is making around $41,000 plus health insurance. The Town of Dryden is the largest town in Tompkins County and he doesn't believe asking for more salary- is unreasonable. Tompkins County is presently advertising for an assistant highway manager (comparable to a deputy position) with an expected wage of $38,000 to $44,000. Jack would also like to see his deputy's wage increased. Cl Grantham stated the wages for Highway Superintendent and Public Works Superintendent is $37, 840 and individual health insurance is provided at $225 per month. The Town Clerk also receives individual health insurance coverage. D McFall stated that the difference between family coverage and individual coverage is roughly $297 per month. Cl T Hatfield stated that the Highway Superintendent currently pays $3,566 out of pocket for family coverage that was paid for by the Town when he was an employee. He believes that is a separate issue from whether or not the salary is right. The Town of Virgil's elected Highway Superintendent just departed for the private sector and it seems foolish to ignore the market place. J Bush noted that the Town of Caroline has proposed a salary for their Highway Superintendent of around $37,000, but she runs a smaller operation and that needs to be taken into consideration. Page 4 of 8 TB 10 -25 -00 Cl T Hatfield proposed to deal with the health insurance by putting it on a separate line in the budget and look at the salary in a pure sense. He does not believe anyone would argue the fact that we ought to be providing family coverage. Cl Beck said that if you get the salary competitive and they pay their own coverage that may be one issue. If every other official is getting family coverage, he sees Jack's point. D McFall stated they are full time in theory only is what the previous thinking was. They can come and go as they want to. Cl Grantham - It is not a full time position. Any of the Town Board members could spend 40 hours a week, or only come to the board meetings, or not even come to the board meetings. She stated an elected official could not do anything or spend 40 or 60 hours a week. You can't think about it as being a full time position. Jack Bush -That is very wrong. It is more than a full time position. If you want to do a good job, you can not be absent. Supv Varvayanis - She's talking about in theory and on the book, and you know in recent history we have a good example. Cl Grantham - You don't have to be here. You are dedicated to it and so you are here, but that's different. We have to justify it to the taxpayers. Cl Beck - I feel more comfortable getting the salary in a competitive range with other areas for the job, and maybe keeping the policy as we have in the past for the health insurance. • He's going to get increments for his personal insurance. If that changes, it would go up. You just pay it. Cl T Hatfield - If you're saying you adjust the salary, you take the $37,840 and add the $3,566 he pays out of pocket before you get to any adjustments it's $41,406. Just to cover the insurance to get that back to where it was. If you are going to do something to get it into a competitive range at that point, they're advertising $38,000 to $44,000 for the Assistant Highway Manager and I assume that includes all benefits. Cl Beck - It looks like the salary is a minimum of 10% low. Cl C Hatfield - It looks like from the competition it's low. Cl T Hatfield - If you go back to the $37,000 and make that 10% and add the insurance it makes it just about $45,000. Cl Beck stated he is not sure the insurance should be added. Supv Varvayanis noted the insurance and the 10% are about the same. Cl T Hatfield stated the insurance should be added in. Last year as an employee (Deputy Highway Superintendent), Jack Bush was paid $38,150, plus family coverage, or $41,716. Cl Grantham stated that when he became Deputy Highway Superintendent he just walked into a salary range that was not adjusted. D McFall stated someone else was budgeted to get that amount. Cl Grantham stated that person had been there for a while and gotten raises in that position, and reiterated that it this is elected and no one has control over the position. C1 T Hatfield suggested taking Jack Bush's last salary and add the health insurance ($41,716) it would bring him back to even and that is not out of line with what the Town was 40 paying the previous Highway Superintendent, and he believes Jack is doing a better job. We can't change the policy, but we can add it to the salary and say he pays his own. Cl C Hatfield Pagc 5 of 8 TB 10 -25 -00 stated if you added 10% it would be about the same thing and policy could be left alone for • now. Cl T Hatfield stated that it was a matter of equity; that the board was not aware of the insurance issue when the salary was established. For the other elected official it makes no difference; she doesn't need family coverage as her children are covered in other ways. For Jack it was an additional cut in pay of $3,500. Cl Beck stated that vas not the intention. Jack Bush noted that the salary paid the previous Highway Superintendent did include family insurance coverage. Cl Beck noted that would mean another three or four thousand dollars, but he doesn't believe that will happen in this budget. Cl Grantham stated that was out of line. Cl T Hatfield stated that's not going to happen, but from the equity point of view he doesn't see a problem with taking the $33,150 and adding that back to it. He believes he can defend that with any taxpayer who asks him about it. Cl Beck stated that would be about a 13% increase and Cl T Hatfield stated it was fair. Jack Bush stated that as far as advertising the amount, he doesn't have a problem with advertising the whole amount and that in the past the DPW figure was not advertised, only the elected official's portion. He would not have a problem defending whatever the amount happened to be. He believes the Highway Superintendent salary should be at least $40,000 and that is still way under any Town of comparable size. People looking at the paper should not have a problem when they compare the salaries paid in other towns. D McFall stated that raising the salary to $40,000 represents an increase of almost 15 %. Cl T Hatfield would like to put the adjustment for insurance on a separate line and call it what it is, that it's a big percentage, but it's equitable and fair and he could defend it to any • reporter or citizen. Supv Varvayanis stated if the board was going to do that then it should do it for the Clerk also. Cl T Hatfield stated she didn't have a family coverage situation and Cl C Hatfield stated that shouldn't be an issue. Board noted that the Clerk received a good. increase last year. Supv Varvayanis stated that if you are going to say it's an equity issue for insurance, then you shouldn't make it for one official and not the other as she works full time too. Cl T Hatfield stated he did not remember why the change in policy regarding insurance was made in 1996, but he feels it sho•� i be revisited. After further discussion, the Highway Superintendent's salary was raised to $40,000 and the DPW figure was left at $2,000. Cl T Hatfield wondered if the Supervisor's salary or board member salaries should be increased and stated it was appropriate to increase either one. Cl Grantham and Supv Varvayanis stated they were fine as they were. Board agreed to leave them as they were proposed. It was noted the Deputy Highway Superintendent received the same 2.4% increase as other employees. Cl T Hatfield noted that the legal contractual expense (page 3) had been cut to $2,500 from a budget of $10,400 adopted last year. D McFall stated that was as requested. Cl T Hatfield wondered about the total for elections and was told that amount was what isthe Clerk had requested (no presidential election next year). Board wondered if the figure for Page 6 of 8 TB 10 -25 -00 custodians would be adequate considering the recent increase voted by the board. D McFall iswill adjust that figure if necessary. It was noted the figure for Assistant under Public Works covers anyone who works in public works. Jack Bush noted it should probably be labelled personal services. Funds for any space study will come out of the capital fund. Supv Varvayanis noted that a public hearing was held in order to set up the fund for the Town Hall and another will not be necessary to spend that money. Funds taken from another capital account will require a hearing. On page 7, the Project Impact funds are grant monies. On page 9, Cl T Hatfield wondered what contractual expenditures under highway garage vas. It was the roof and doors. Cl T Hatfield noted that electric and gas was scattered through the budget and stated that the forecast this week was for a minimum of 50%u more. D McFall stated they have told the Town there would be no increase, they are capped until 2002. Cl C Hatfield noted there was funds in the budget for the bicentennial book. D McFall stated the figures for fuel expenses should be fine. Cl T Hatfield wondered about the HUD money and D McFall stated that is a CD and is not in the budget. On page 13 under Youth Services, the budget was increased $6,000 because that's what the County increased. The Recreation Partnership figure is down slightly. Cl T Hatfield would like a line item for the Recreation Commission and suggested $1,500 as the Conservation Advisory Council received that amount for administration expenses. A line item for Recreation contractual was added at $1,500. On page 14, Dryden Chorus has applied to the County for $1,700 (after the tentative budget was prepared). Budget was changed to reflect $1,700 coming in and $1,700 going to Dryden Chorus. On page 16, an amount of $3,600 is set aside under erosion control for anticipated work on Virgil Creek Dam. Under Research, three projects were eliminated: Pinckney Road Water, Pinckney Road Sewer and Cross Town Water. Cl T Hatfield stated that in order to start the process the engineer is authorized to prepare a map, plan and report (never prepared on Cross Town Water), and would like to leave those in the budget. Cl Grantham asked whether those items could be paid from the unexpended fund balance. D McFall stated they were removed because it appears those projects will not move forward. Supv Varvayanis stated that the hearing to set it up has already been had, whether it appears in the budget or not. Cl T Hatfield stated that it has the effect of lowering the amount to be raised for taxes by $200,000 and that later those funds may need to be raised again. Supv Varvayanis stated that $800,000 will be transferred into reserve. Cl C Hatfield agrees that they can be taken out, but when the budget is released we need to explain why we've got a 15% decrease, and this is part of it so the public understands why the tax rate is gone down. This plus an increase in assessment has made it go down and that should be in the news release. D Mc Fall stated that to get the funds from reserve a public hearing would need to be held for a capital project, general. We still have an unexpended fund balance of more than what we are using, not counting the $400,000 that we are talking about putting someplace else. Pagc 7 of 8 TB 10 -25 -00 There will be funds to cover a district if necessary. We've been putting away $140,000 each • year that there probably wasn't a need for. Page 21, Sales and Forfeitures, $60,000 represents anticipated revenue from speeding tickets. SUNIb'IARY: The following changes were made in the tentative budget: 11 Increase Highway Superintendent salary to $40,000 (A5010.1) 2) Add Recreation contractual $1,500 (A7020.4) 3) Add Community Chorus $1,700 (A7989.4) 4) Increase Community Chorus Revenues $1,700 (A2070) 5) Increase Sander boxes to $20,000 (DA5130.206) using $10,000 from unexpended fund balance; 6) Increase ambulance fee revenues to $170,000.