NORWICH – Unlike the equable atmosphere presented Monday at a public hearing on the draft 2011 budget for Chenango County, yesterday’s meeting to formally adopt the budget was strained by proposed amendments and even personal accusations.
Town of Plymouth Supervisor Jerry Kreiner moved to amend portions of the budget that would have lowered the salary of one employee and cut another’s part-time job. The moves would have kept a position in the Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center, one that the Sheriff, himself, has said he will ask to fill next year, and would have saved approximately $12,500 by zeroing out the Traffic budget.
Kreiner, a Republican, said he couldn’t support the proposed budget because it presents a false portrayal of the spending plan for next year. He said Emergency Management Services Director Matt Beckwith’s appointment at the beginning of the year, his move to head the fire department and subsequent release from dispatch were made “in haste.”
“There’s not a real rationale as to why it’s a good move,” he said. “The Sheriff has said several times this (the dispatch) job is a necessary position and will need the funding. He needs adequate staffing.”
Kreiner’s complaints centered on Beckwith’s salary, which, at $57,784, he felt was too much, and he faulted Chairman of the Board Richard B. Decker, R-N. Norwich, for making the January appointment without prior board discussion.
City of Norwich Supervisor James McNeil, a Democrat, seconded Kreiner’s motion to amend the budget.
During discussion, the supervisors from New Berlin, Preston and Smyrna supported Kreiner’s concern about Decker’s appointment, and recommended an investigation into the protocol for making them. New Berlin’s Ross Iannello, who is politically unaffiliated, suggested looking into the rules that govern whether the Finance Committee can pass resolutions without having them heard through the committee system.
Kreiner said zeroing out the Traffic Budget would lighten the tax burden, though minimally. He also pointed out that Traffic Department Director Jan Miles has another part-time job with the county, which wouldn’t be affected.
“It’s a very small part. But it’s a start. We keep having to look at programs, maybe privatization. This is a place to start,” he said.
Town of Pharsalia Supervisor Dennis Brown objected to both of Kreiner’s amendments, and said Beckwith’s appointment was discussed “thoroughly in executive session. “We were all aware of it,” he said, to which Kreiner retorted, “An executive session in November is not the place to pass a budget.”
The board went into a lengthy executive session to discuss personnel matters two weeks ago.
Kreiner’s amendment to lower Beckwith’s salary and fund his previous dispatch position was narrowly defeated, and only by a lack of majority. Those in favor were from both political parties, and included supervisors from the largest population centers: McNeil, Linda E. Natoli, R-City of Norwich; David C. Law, R-Town of Norwich; and William C. Craine, R-Sherburne. Town of Bainbridge Supervisor Dolores Nabinger, whose vote is weighted heaviest of Democrats on the county board, was absent, as was Town of McDonough Supervisor Arrington J. Canor, a Republican. Both have shared Kreiner’s dissatisfaction with Beckwith’s positions and the traffic department.
Brown also supported Miles’ position, saying the Traffic Safety Board, which she administers, wouldn’t be able to function without her position in Traffic. The Safety & Rules Committee plans to review the department’s revenue potential next year, and may very well recommend doing away with the function, said committee Chairman Jack Cook, R-Greene.
Finance Committee Chairman Lawrence Wilcox, R-Oxford, came to Miles’ defense, saying employees deserve notice before being let go. “We need to give them an opportunity to meet the needs of our county. Finance committee left this with the idea we would be watching very closely over the next year to make sure. It’s not proper to just say we aren’t happy with your program and move on. We can’t just cut her salary,” to which Kreiner retorted, “I had mine cut, to zero.”
Wilcox said, “But you could have planned for that.”
Both Iannello and Chairman Decker called for the personal bickering to stop.
The motion was defeated 14 to 5.
After the budget was voted on, Bays, whose town is the busiest with natural gas activity, said the board should begin talking about supporting a co-generation facility for the county’s electrical needs.
“In light of the budget and the economic times we are facing, we’ve got the gas here and the gas is passing by. Mr. Chairman, we need to have someone take a very serious look at the possibility of revenues for our county and reduced electricity rates for our taxpayers,” he said.
Bays also said he had hoped the board would create performance reviews for compensation schedule employees.
In an uncharacteristic move, and one he recommended earlier in the budget season, Town of Preston Supervisor Peter C. Flanagan proposed an amendment that would have doubled the tax rate of 1.01 percent, a move that would have decreased the average of .88 to .44 cents.
“The very last thing I would do was to suggest raising taxes ... and I really hate to make this proposal, I really do, but I’m going to,” he said. “My fear is that we never do anything. We’re going to wait and talk next year.”
McNeil seconded Flanagan’s amendment.
Iannello said the stress on taxpayers would be diminished somewhat with a split bill. “Why can’t we have taxes paid twice a year like some of the towns do?”
However, after a review of the budget particulars that Evans presented and further discussion about equalization rates and assessments, Flanagan rescinded his motion.
“There no question that this board has had hard decisions to make. There’s been a lot of agony in the Finance Committee. The history is we have gone up the ladder and dealt with crises in the past. The budget is supported by real bricks and mortar growth,” said Evans.
The tax levy of $23,074,667 is an increased of 1.01 percent from the 2010 fiscal plan. The estimated average countywide tax rate is $12.87; a decrease of approximately .88 cents per 1,000 dollars of countywide assessed property value.
The tentative budget utilizes an extra $2.3 million of surplus funds and adds about $231,000 of real growth of the assessment total for 2011. It also applies $1.2 million of unspent federal stimulus funds.
The budget passed 16 yes, 3 no (Flanagan, Kreiner and McNeil).
In closing the nearly two-hour meeting, Supervisor Natoli said, “We have been prudent. But my feeling is some of these things we are going to do, or fix, won’t happen. I’ve been in this conversation before ... if we are all going to be responsible to the taxpayers we represent, we are going to have to champion these things or they will fall through the cracks and we’ll be in the same damn place we’ve been before.”