County tables codes budget issue
NORWICH – Putting the county’s code enforcement department onto the general levy isn’t going off as smoothly as previous governmental approvals have indicated.
When the decision to add $70,000 to Chenango’s 2008 operating budget for codes next year finally appeared before members of the Finance Committee on Wednesday, the matter was tabled.
Committee Chairman Lawrence N. Wilcox, R-Oxford, said his committee was “too divided” to take any action at this time. Wilcox asked Safety & Rules Committee Chairman Alton B. Doyle, R-Guilford, to create “a more concrete solution” to the issues raised, many of which dealt with possible charge backs to individual towns for enforcement services provided.
Financial leaders previously approved a referral from Doyle’s committee in August to leave the department’s current fee schedule in place and put the department’s budget on the levy. Supervisors from German, Lincklaen and Guilford voted for it, the Pharsalia supervisor voted against it and Wilcox did not vote. Committee member Wayne Outwater, R-Licklaen, who had voted to add the budget on the levy previously, was absent yesterday.
The nearly hour-long 2008 budget debate included two motions that died for lack of a second and a 15-minute executive session to discuss personnel.
Permit fees have traditionally covered the department’s expenses. Fees collected in previous years from such large retailers as Lowe’s and Wal-Mart enabled the department to hire-on needed officers. When those fees disappeared, however – and even though 1.5 of the positions were vacated and left unfilled earlier this year – codes began running a deficit, ending 2007 down an estimated 31 percent.
Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Bates and Public Health Director Marcus Flindt were able to convince the Safety and Rules Committee, and later, Finance, to fill the positions and include the unit in the budget. They cited a backlog of 882 inspections, 760 new permits this year, and more than 60 complaint calls received daily.
Most other counties in the nation receive 75 percent of their operating budgets from permits fees and 25 percent from the levy, Bates said.
Town of Sherburne Supervisor Harry Conley moved to table the matter yesterday. It was seconded by Richard Schlag, D-German.
Schlag, who is also a member of Safety & Rules, perviously moved the department’s budget with an amendment to include a $100 charge back per complaint investigated. “If the charge back fee lowers the number of complaints and duties, then we cut back personnel at a later date,” he said.
Wilcox questioned whether a flat fee of $100 would be applicable in all situations. “Some issues are more,” he said.
Town of Pharsalia Supervisor Dennis Brown suggested that the matter be reffered to the county’s attorney. “You can’t get into a pick and choose when it comes to what fees legally you can charge to municipalites,” he said.
Brown made a motion to cut one of the department’s 6.5 positions, fund $30,000 of the balance left this year from surplus and charge back towns a tax in the future.
Chenango County Treasurer William E. Evans said he would investigate what methods and timing would be required to create a special district tax, but warned that such a move could create “an exodus” of towns that traditionally use the county’s codes services. Currently, only the towns of Greene, New Berlin and the City of Norwich do not.
Wilcox, who also called for funding approximately $30,000 for staff, said the department has been on the local share in the past when considering an amount of $55,000 paid in fringe benefits for the department’s personnel.
“It’s not like Chenango County has left this budget out of anything,” he said.
“The problem we’ve faced in the last 12 to 18 months isn’t a problem of an extra $70,000. The issue is getting satisfactory work out of the staff we have,” Wilcox said.
The supervisor from German requested the executive session in order to learn about employees’ workloads.
“If we are going to ask these people to work on old permits and do enforcement that brings in money, how can we cut staff?” he asked.
When the decision to add $70,000 to Chenango’s 2008 operating budget for codes next year finally appeared before members of the Finance Committee on Wednesday, the matter was tabled.
Committee Chairman Lawrence N. Wilcox, R-Oxford, said his committee was “too divided” to take any action at this time. Wilcox asked Safety & Rules Committee Chairman Alton B. Doyle, R-Guilford, to create “a more concrete solution” to the issues raised, many of which dealt with possible charge backs to individual towns for enforcement services provided.
Financial leaders previously approved a referral from Doyle’s committee in August to leave the department’s current fee schedule in place and put the department’s budget on the levy. Supervisors from German, Lincklaen and Guilford voted for it, the Pharsalia supervisor voted against it and Wilcox did not vote. Committee member Wayne Outwater, R-Licklaen, who had voted to add the budget on the levy previously, was absent yesterday.
The nearly hour-long 2008 budget debate included two motions that died for lack of a second and a 15-minute executive session to discuss personnel.
Permit fees have traditionally covered the department’s expenses. Fees collected in previous years from such large retailers as Lowe’s and Wal-Mart enabled the department to hire-on needed officers. When those fees disappeared, however – and even though 1.5 of the positions were vacated and left unfilled earlier this year – codes began running a deficit, ending 2007 down an estimated 31 percent.
Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Bates and Public Health Director Marcus Flindt were able to convince the Safety and Rules Committee, and later, Finance, to fill the positions and include the unit in the budget. They cited a backlog of 882 inspections, 760 new permits this year, and more than 60 complaint calls received daily.
Most other counties in the nation receive 75 percent of their operating budgets from permits fees and 25 percent from the levy, Bates said.
Town of Sherburne Supervisor Harry Conley moved to table the matter yesterday. It was seconded by Richard Schlag, D-German.
Schlag, who is also a member of Safety & Rules, perviously moved the department’s budget with an amendment to include a $100 charge back per complaint investigated. “If the charge back fee lowers the number of complaints and duties, then we cut back personnel at a later date,” he said.
Wilcox questioned whether a flat fee of $100 would be applicable in all situations. “Some issues are more,” he said.
Town of Pharsalia Supervisor Dennis Brown suggested that the matter be reffered to the county’s attorney. “You can’t get into a pick and choose when it comes to what fees legally you can charge to municipalites,” he said.
Brown made a motion to cut one of the department’s 6.5 positions, fund $30,000 of the balance left this year from surplus and charge back towns a tax in the future.
Chenango County Treasurer William E. Evans said he would investigate what methods and timing would be required to create a special district tax, but warned that such a move could create “an exodus” of towns that traditionally use the county’s codes services. Currently, only the towns of Greene, New Berlin and the City of Norwich do not.
Wilcox, who also called for funding approximately $30,000 for staff, said the department has been on the local share in the past when considering an amount of $55,000 paid in fringe benefits for the department’s personnel.
“It’s not like Chenango County has left this budget out of anything,” he said.
“The problem we’ve faced in the last 12 to 18 months isn’t a problem of an extra $70,000. The issue is getting satisfactory work out of the staff we have,” Wilcox said.
The supervisor from German requested the executive session in order to learn about employees’ workloads.
“If we are going to ask these people to work on old permits and do enforcement that brings in money, how can we cut staff?” he asked.
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