NORWICH – The struggling economy and tight departmental budgets didn’t keep Chenango County’s politicians from giving themselves and their government employees about a 4 percent raise on average.
But it wasn’t for lack of trying. Led by Supervisor Peter C. Flanagan, D-Preston, who pulled the annual compensation schedule resolution from Monday’s agenda, four of the legislature’s seven Democrats and three others who were in agreement with them, voted to freeze salaries at this year’s rate.
“These are uncertain economic times we are facing. I would appeal to my fellow supervisors to consider not increasing their salaries. We need to lead from the top,” said Flanagan.
Flanagan’s comment was supported by a motion from Supervisor James Bays, D-Smyrna, to amend the comp schedule resolution. Bays said he worried that governments and municipalities would be next in line – after the housing and automobile industries’ crises – to feel the affects of the nation’s economic downturn.
However Bays’ amendment, seconded by Flanagan, failed by a vote of 7 to 15 with 1 absent. The two were joined by Democrats James J. McNeil of Wards 1, 2 and 3 in the City of Norwich and Rick E. Chase of Bainbridge. Republican Jerry L. Kreiner, supervisor of Plymouth; New Berlin Supervisor Ross Iannello, unaffiliated; and Columbus Supervisor George G. Coates, an Independent, also sided with the Democrats.
Supervisor David Messineo, D-Otselic, who voted with the Republican majority along with Rich Schlag of German and Dennis Brown of Pharsalia, said the county would “fall below the norm for particular jobs” if salaries were frozen.
“It sounds good, but you end up having to play catch up. Two or 3 percent as they are now is not even keeping up with inflation. Leave it up to supervisors to donate their amount back to charity,” he said.
In a second attempt to curb the increases, McNeil motioned to amend the resolution by striking special salary adjustments offered one of the part-time assistant attorneys for Chenango County Attorney Richard Breslin.
“Having a third assistant to the county attorney has been a thorn in my side for a long time,” said McNeil, who, along with a small handful of other supervisors, objected to creating the position originally and also to a special $2,000 annual salary adjustment that was also passed. The part-time position paid $26,000 in 2008; $29,120 in 2009.
McNeil’s amendment also failed by a vote of 17 to 5 with 1 absent.
After a total discussion period of about 30 minutes, a final roll call on the 2010 compensation schedule resolution passed in favor of the increases by a tally of 18 to 4.
A motion to amend a resolution to hire an undersherriff for the county met with a similar fate. Supervisor Iannello suggested waiting until year’s end before appropriating $62,484 for the position, effective immediately.
“Especially with the problems we are having at the jail, we should hold off until we see where we are at the first of the year,” he said. Chenango County Sheriff Ernest Cutting reported last month that the Public Safety Facility’s budget is lacking $380,000 in revenues that were projected from farming in out-of-county prisoners this year.
A computer glitch found by the county’s Personnel Department late yesterday afternoon delayed the official release of the complete compensation schedule, however the following four tiers of percentages were provided:
• Employees earning $17,439 through $30,147 will receive 5 percent
• Employees earning $30,148 to $40,937 will receive 4.5 percent
• Employees earning $40,938 to $70,000 will receive 3.25 percent
• Employees earning above $$70,000 will receive 3 percent
Employee benefits now include a new dental health provision with no employee contribution. If all 179 eligible employees enroll, the benefit is estimated to cost the county $3,400 a year.