West Seneca 2006 Special Districts & Preliminary Budget Meeting - 11/10/2005
Supervisor Paul T. Clark called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. with 30 seconds of silent prayer followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Present -
Absent - None Supervisor Clark read the Fire Prevention Code instructing the public where to exit in case of a fire or an emergency. BENEFIT BASIS BUDGET Motion by Supervisor Clark, seconded by Councilman Osmanski, that proofs of publication and posting of legal notice: “OF A PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE YEAR 2006 BENEFIT BASIS BUDGET (SPECIAL DISTRICTS BUDGET) UPON WHICH THE COST OF MAINTENANCE AND DEBT SERVICE THEREOF IS APPORTIONED AND ASSESSED IN PROPORTION TO THE AMOUNT OF BENEFIT CONFERRED” in the Town of West Seneca, be received and filed.
Motion by Supervisor Clark, seconded by Councilman Osmanski, to open the public hearing.
Supervisor Clark advised that the 2006 Benefit Basis Budget included the special districts that covered sanitary sewer districts, water districts, lighting districts and certain sections of the Industrial Park. Each and every special district was analyzed and the budget was then prepared. The budget was filed in September and has been available for review in the Town Clerk’s office since that time. The Town of West Seneca is serviced by the Erie County Sewer District system and maintains several of its own sewer districts. The town is also responsible for the delivery infrastructure for the water that is purchased from Erie County Water Authority, the distribution mains, and any related equipment. There are certain parts of the Industrial Park that have been developed at the request of the property owners and the costs charged back to the property owners. Supervisor Clark further noted that the town has been doing conversions in some of the special lighting districts to cut down on utility costs. Councilman Graber stated that the cost for natural gas has been on the rise for quite some time. The Town was moving forward with conversions and by next year will have replaced gas lights with electrical. Districts #3 and #4 will be completed this year and they would like to roll them back to the 2005 values. Councilman Graber commented on the savings that have been realized with the conversions to electric and suggested changes to the net levy on a number of districts. Wayne Drescher of Drescher & Malecki, LLP, and Town Comptroller Charles Koller were requested to prepare the adjustments based on the comments of Councilman Graber. Frank Russo, Parkside Drive, requested that the Board waive the three-minute rule to allow the public additional time for questions and comments. Supervisor Clark responded that other towns implemented time restrictions on public comment, and he did not believe the three-minute rule was unreasonable.
BENEFIT BASIS BUDGET (continued) Maureen Berbary, 24 Ganna Court, stated that she would like to see a comparative budget between 2004 and 2005 and felt it was impossible to review the budget adequately in a few minutes. Supervisor Clark responded that the budget was filed in September and had been available for review since that time, but he would take her suggestion into consideration. The following adjustments were made to the net levy:
Motion by Councilman Graber, seconded by Supervisor Clark, to amend the 2006 Benefit Basis Budget by the allocation of an additional $100,000. to line item 03.8113.1441.
Motion by Supervisor Clark, seconded by Councilman Osmanski, to close the public hearing.
Motion by Supervisor Clark, seconded by Councilman Osmanski, to adopt the 2006 Benefit Basis Budgets (includes various special district funds) as previously filed by the Town Supervisor and known as the 2006 Benefit Basis Budget, as amended.
PRELIMINARY BUDGET - GENERAL & HIGHWAY FUND Motion by Supervisor Clark, seconded by Councilman Osmanski, that proofs of publication and posting of legal notice: “OF A PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2006” in the Town of West Seneca, be received and filed.
Motion by Supervisor Clark, seconded by Councilman Osmanski, to open the public hearing.
Supervisor Clark stated that the proposed budget represented a 5.8 percent increase in taxes over the year 2005. Rising operating costs, many of which were beyond the town’s control, and flat or declining revenues necessitated a higher tax rate at this time.
PRELIMINARY BUDGET – GENERAL & HIGHWAY FUND (continued) Don Grasso, 64 Lexington Green, referred to the rising cost of insurance and health benefits, but also noted the 3 percent raise to elected officials in this year’s budget. He felt those raises should be eliminated in light of the current County fiscal problems and the anticipated increase in County taxes next year. He also asked if any cuts had been made in this year’s budget. Supervisor Clark noted a number of cuts made in various departments, including a reduction of part time clerks, and a reduction in printing and advertising costs. A number of measures were taken to reduce the cost of street lighting and recycling and the Town also began purchasing supplies in bulk. He noted the Town strives to maintain a balance between the services expected by residents and the labor costs associated with the services provided by the Sanitation and Highway Department. Department heads were encouraged to cut costs wherever possible and they would continue to monitor expenses. Virginia Grandoni, 870 Orchard Park Road, questioned how many health insurance carriers the Town was providing. Supervisor Clark stated that there were currently three and the Town was looking to provide one carrier in the future. They were attempting to curb costs in this area with a higher contribution on the part of new employees, and in fact, the Town of West Seneca had one of the highest rates for employee contributions to health care. New employees were currently contributing 20% toward health care insurance. Councilman Hicks stated that the Sanitation Department was successful in reducing the number of routes from six to five, while at the same time maintaining the same quality of services that residents had become accustomed to. This reflected a savings of approximately $150,000. Mrs. Grandoni stated her comments were not meant to suggest that department heads were not doing their job, but noted that the two highest salaries in the Police Department were paid to the Police Chief and Assistant Police Chief and each was in excess of $90,000. Kevin McDonnell, 35 Brookside Drive, stated that he would like to see the proposed budget publicized so that the public had an opportunity to review it. He also questioned why the budget hearing was not held prior to Election Day. Supervisor Clark stated that the town actually had a longer period of time in which to hold the public hearing on the budget, but the Town of West Seneca traditionally held its budget hearing in November for the past 15 – 20 years. He also noted that copies of the proposed budget had been available in the Town Clerk’s office since September, giving ample time for residents to review the document. Mr. McDonnell stated that he would also like to see copies of the Blue Collar and White Collar contracts. Supervisor Clark stated that those contracts may be available under a FOIL request and explained the procedure for filing a request. Councilman Osmanski noted the increase in health insurance premiums, which continue to increase each year, and stated that the Board makes every effort when negotiating the union contracts to keep these costs under control. Mr. McDonnell stated he would like to see a motion to freeze Town Board members’ salaries this year as a show of good faith.
PRELIMINARY BUDGET – GENERAL & HIGHWAY FUND (continued) Karen Lucachik, 61 Greenmeadow Drive, stated that she had obtained a list of town vehicles, which reflected there were a total of 43, and asked how many of these vehicles were taken home by employees at the end of the day. Supervisor Clark stated that approximately seven or eight vehicles were taken home by department heads, including himself, the Town Engineer, the Recreation Director, and the Executive Director of the Youth Bureau. Mrs. Lucachik noted that 10 vehicles were assigned to AmeriCorps and she failed to see why Mr. Lazzara needed to take a town vehicle home at night. Supervisor Clark responded that Mr. Lazzara oversaw a number of programs, some of which took place in the evening. There were also a number of programs run by AmeriCorps or the YES program that necessitated the transportation of youth to nursing homes and other facilities. The Recreation Director oversaw as many as 30 different facilities, including night baseball games, and required a vehicle for transportation. Mrs. Grandoni commented that 43 vehicles seemed excessive. Supervisor Clark noted that the town employed over 300 people. Not all the vehicles were cars; some were vans that were used to transport people, including volunteers and senior citizens. Mrs. Grandoni noted that the City of Buffalo reimbursed for mileage, and she felt this option would be much cheaper than paying the cost of vehicles for the department heads. Frank Boncore, Heather Hill Drive, noted that of the 10 vehicles being used by the AmeriCorps, there were several newer and more expensive type vehicles. He felt a cheaper Chevrolet or Ford would meet their needs just as well. Councilman Osmanski stated that AmeriCorps vehicles were purchased with AmeriCorps funds and the cost did not come out of this budget. He noted that Mr. Lazzara brought more than 4 million dollars in revenue to the town and had a budget for advertising, but instead of using the money in that budget for advertising which was costly, the funds were used for the purchase and painting of the vehicle parked in front of the Burchfield Center. The vehicle was then used for the dual purpose of transportation and advertising. A resident noted the high cost of health insurance coverage and asked if police officers were still receiving cosmetic surgery under their health care plan. Supervisor Clark stated that this provision was given as part of a contract negotiated prior to this Town Board and they were making every effort to correct the situation. Jim Ryan noted a line item on Page 16 for Workman’s Compensation of $192,000 and another line item on Page 20 for Workman’s Compensation of $673,000 and asked for clarification on those line items. Supervisor Clark stated that these were two separate funds and explained the reasoning for them. Most of the injuries were incurred in the Highway Department, which was reflected by the $673,000 figure. Mr. Russo stated that he was disappointed in the format of the budget and felt it should have been advertised in the Buffalo News. He thought many of the salaries were excessive and the Town should move toward consolidation of departments. Mr. Russo suggested that the recreation and youth services be transferred to the Erie County Youth Bureau.
PRELIMINARY BUDGET – GENERAL & HIGHWAY FUND (continued) Mr. McDonnell asked for clarification on the costs for running an election. Supervisor Clark stated that the Town of West Seneca was responsible for payment of election inspectors, the moving of voting machines, rental of polling locations and the general costs associated with Primary Day and Election Day. Mr. McDonnell questioned the dog control officers’ salaries and the need for two people. Supervisor Clark stated that the salaries were set under the union contract. The dog control officers maintained the animal shelter and answered calls involving dogs, deer and all types of animals that were received seven days a week at all hours of the day and night, 375 days a year. One person could not be expected to cover all the calls. Motion by Supervisor Clark, seconded by Councilman Osmanski, to close the public hearing.
Councilman Osmanski stated that the Town Board listened to the residents’ comments and would take into consideration the suggestions made at this meeting. Although the budget was prepared according to the guidelines of the State Comptroller’s office, he thought they might be able to add something to the process to provide comparative figures, but it was almost impossible for the average person to come to this budget hearing and be expected to fully understand a budget this size. Preparation of the budget was a two and one-half month process, some issues were complex, and many decisions had to be made. Any of the Board members would be happy to answer questions in detail, but the purpose of this meeting was to give general information on the budget. Cuts were made in many areas and there was little room for further cuts. Every department head was advised that there would be no new jobs created. Councilman Osmanski noted that it was difficult to compare the Town of West Seneca with another municipality because expenses varied from community to community. Councilman Hicks stated that the Town Board members did not put together a budget without thought and he was pleased with this budget. The budget was gone over with a fine-tooth comb in order to make cuts wherever possible. The Town of Hamburg might have a three percent tax increase as compared to the Town of West Seneca’s six percent tax increase, but Hamburg had no Sanitation Department and the West Seneca Sanitation Department was second to none. Councilman Hicks thought this was a very responsible budget and the Town Board had done a good job in its preparation. Councilman Graber did not believe that one town could be compared to another in terms of tax increases. The Town of Hamburg had a significant amount of undeveloped land, whereas West Seneca was a built-out community. The only way to offset costs was to bring in new commercial development, and this would be impacting us in the future. Councilman Graber noted that the Town Board attempted cost savings measures wherever possible, as in the elimination of one garbage route. Recent changes were made in the Assessor’s office and there were current plans to make it more efficient in the future. The town’s infrastructure was improved over the past number of years. The Town Board did not add any additional jobs in the last eight years and eliminated seven jobs through attrition.
PRELIMINARY BUDGET – GENERAL & HIGHWAY FUND (continued) Councilman Bove stated that raising taxes should never be taken lightly. She looked at the cost of living expense and the rate of inflation, and tried to cut one percent from the tax increase this year, but any cuts that could be made would not have reached that level. There were areas to look at in the future and there was the possibility of increased revenue sources to help out with future budgets. Councilman Bove stated that the Police Department budget was six million dollars and the police force was excellent, but they also had to pay for other police services provided by Erie County and should possibly look into getting a rebate. Motion by Supervisor Clark, Councilman Osmanski, to adopt the year 2006 General Fund & Highway Fund budgets as proposed.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Supervisor Clark, seconded by Councilman Hicks, to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 P.M.
__________________________________ PATRICIA C. DEPASQUALE, RMC/CMC |