Robillard votes ‘no’ on fire, wastewater budgets

by Karen Keefe
Grand Island Dispatch, December 2, 2005

Councilman Dan Robillard, whose term ends Dec. 31, is using his waning days in office to make a statement about good – and bad – practices in town government, as he sees it.

He served up the only “no” votes on the wastewater and fire district portions of the 2006 budget that the town approved at its Nov. 21 meeting – along with criticism he later voiced over the way he says the two departments have been run.

The councilman lost his bid for re-election to a second term.

Fire, Wastewater Budgets Criticized

Robillard said the wastewater budget, itself, contains waste and fraud. On the fire budget, while he had nothing but praise for volunteer firefighters, he criticized the current building project at fire headquarters as more than what is needed to house a new piece of fire equipment.

“The front line guys do a great job – EMS, firefighters, all of that. My vote was against some of the business practices they’re taking on,” Robillard said.

“They put on that addition. Half a million dollars to put a $25,000 truck in it.”

Fire Chief Greg Butcher countered with: “I truly believe his criticism is an indication of his lack of being informed.”

Butcher said the fire headquarters expansion is needed to provide service for a growing community.

“We’re trying to provide fair and equitable protection to all the residents of Grand Island.”

Butcher said the building project cost $500,000, which was obtained through a tax-exempt loan. The ladder truck, that the new addition will house, was purchased at a cost of less than $10,000. Butcher said it is a 1971 truck, which will eventually need to be replaced. A new ladder truck would cost $500,000 to $750,000, he said.

Butcher said the fire headquarters addition is “working truck bay space for our equipment. It’s not anything lavish. It’s as ‘Plain Jane’ as it gets.” The construction is expected to be completed by Jan. 1, 2006.

Fire Company Public Information Officer Ray Pauly added, “The insurance service organization that rates the fire department’s performance and state of readiness told us we needed a ladder truck for the size and density” of the community. He said the company instructed them that the truck had to be centrally located to give equal protection to all Island residents.

Pauly said the new bays would house the ladder truck, a mutual aid truck as needed, and other equipment. He also said the construction includes replacing a roof that was approximately 20 years old. “That was a crying need.”

Robillard said since he spoke out against the fire and wastewater budgets, he has received emails and calls of support from a number of residents.

He said they wrote, “Good, Danny. Someone finally said something. Everybody’s afraid to say something – ‘sacred cow’ and all that – but some things need to be looked at.”

Robillard said after budget negotiations, it was decided that the fire company and the Town Board would now have quarterly meetings. He termed that “a good direction – but whether it solves anything … that’s another (thing).”

‘Waste and fraud’

Regarding the Wastewater Department, Robillard said the problems were evidenced by disciplinary suspensions earlier this year. As reported first in the Feb. 25 Island Dispatch, four employees of the Wastewater Department were disciplined with suspensions for failing to fully account for funds received from the sale of scrap metal last year.

“There’s some stealing and thievery involved, which is basically a fraud to the taxpayer. It’s actually insulting the taxpayer,” Robillard said.

He said he saw the crew delivering scrap brass in Buffalo last year, and waited for the money to appear in town coffers. When it didn’t, he asked questions, and a town investigation ensued, ultimately resulting in the suspensions.

Jobs Could Be Cut

“What we discovered when these couple of people were suspended: Overtime didn’t go up; everything got done. So, actually, you see you didn’t need them.” Robillard said. “It showed us real quick where the fat was.” The wastewater, or sewer district fund, was $2,690,999, with a tax rate per thousand (land value only) of $5.683, an increase of 51.9 percent.

‘Ethics Flag Waved’

Robillard said, at the close of the Nov. 21 Town Board meeting: “The ethics flag gets waved around here and it only applies to me.” He was referring, in part, to criticism from some residents over the propriety of the town, earlier this year, approving a permit for a Verizon Cell tower to go up on Robillard’s Ransom Road property.

Robillard abstained on all Town Board votes relating to that tower, which brings an annual $9,600 in lease revenue to the councilman.

When the fire company budget came up during the meeting, both Supervisor Peter McMahon and Councilman Gary Roesch voted “yes,” and publicly stated they are volunteer firefighters and receive no monetary benefit from the budget.

The fire district budget for 2006 is $894,323. A sum of $881,621 will be raised through taxes, a 7.2 percent increase over 2005. The fire company had requested a 14 percent increase, and had negotiated with the town to arrive at a contract for the lower increase.

Budgets and Tax Rates

The Town Board OK’d an overall budget of $15.15 million.

Other separate fund budgets and their tax rates are as follows:

•The general fund of $5,585,961 carries a property tax rate of $2.725 per thousand of assessed valuation, a 1.9 percent increase.

For a time, the town was sweating it out over the prospect of funding sheriff’s road patrols at an initial annual figure of $500,000, which would have added $.80 per thousand to the property tax for 2006. But the county put road patrols in its 2006 budget

•The highway fund of $2,332,448 carries a tax rate of $2.925 per thousand, a 3.9 percent increase.

Special Districts

Separate budgets for special districts – and their tax rates – are as follows:

•The water district fund of $2,609,898 carries a tax rate (land value only) of 5.782 per thousand, a 7.9 percent decrease.

•The lighting district fund of $185,786 covers 44 districts, and the fee to the individual taxpayer who lives in a lighting district varies by district.

•The refuse and garbage district fund of $853,650 carries a flat rate for a single family dwelling of $123, a 3.9 percent decrease over last year.