Town of Porter organizes for 2010

by Terry Duffy
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, January 16, 2010

The Town of Porter, with new member Joe Fleckenstein on board but minus Councilman Tom Baia who was absent, got 2010 under way in routine fashion at its Monday, Jan. 4, organizational hearing. Following Supervisor Mert Wiepert’s congratulatory remarks to re-elected and newly elected town officials, the nuts and bolts of the yearly naming of appointments, salary setting, designating, and the like were to follow – some with interesting comments.

Town Board actions included:

•Michael Dowd reappointed as town attorney at $20,000 annually and as town prosecutor at $8,000; and CRA Infrastructure and Engineering Inc. approved to cover the town’s engineering areas at $7,200 for the year.

•Setting salaries for the year, with funding budgeted from General Fund A. Included were: Supervisor Weipert, $28,535; Town Board members Baia, Fleckenstein, Jeff Baker and Larry White, $7,165 apiece; town justices David Truesdale and Walter Holmes, $15,769 each; Confidential Secretary to the Supervisor, Norm Ault, $38,399; Deputy Supervisor Baia, $515; Tax Collector Sally Hogan, $5,151; Budget Officer Wiepert, $1,403; Acting Assessor Barbara Oaks, $30.30 per hour; Town Clerk Gail Zachary, $35,675; Highway Superintendent Scott Hillman, $33,354; and Town Historian Sue Dietz, $2,148.

•Salaries approved from General Fund B. Included were: Building Inspector Roy Rogers, $16,867; Zachary, registrar of vital statistics, $5,779; Youth Program Director Kathryn Zasucha, $8,727; school crossing guard Rosanne Moje, $11.62 per hour; Zoning Board Chair Bill Tower and Planning Board Chair George Spira, $2,000 each plus expenses.

•The board approved retaining grant writer Bernie Rotella, but modified his services following discussion by Fleckenstein on his overall record for the town. Wiepert and Ault noted Rotella was instrumental in securing a $177,000 matching grant with the town and New York state and said overall, his track record has been good. But board members agreed to restructure his services to a month-to-month basis rather than for a full year when actual compensation costs to the town were raised.

•Highway Department salary structures were next, and the following positions and titles were approved: Deputy Highway Superintendent Dave Gombert, $22.26 per hour; motor equipment operator, $14.05 to $20.64 per hour; laborer (part time), $11.73 per hour; laborer II (summer help), $9.36 per hour; laborer substitute, part time, $9.93 per hour; truck driver I, part time, $12.81 per hour; truck driver II, part time, $9.36 per hour; and Highway Department Clerk Karen Cristiano, $14.94 per hour.

•In the Water and Sewer departments, the following were approved: Superintendent Hillman, at $14,603 and $13,757 respectively; Zachary, water/sewer collection clerk, at $4,962 and $2,731 respectively; Ramona Lockhart, water/sewer billing clerk, at $14.94 per hour, and water/sewer maintenance persons 1 and 2 at $22.266 and $16.24 per hour respectively.

•Water and Sewer rates for 2010 were approved as follows:

Water: 0-7,000 gallons, $15.75 minimum; 7,000-20,000 gallons, $2.26 per thousand; 20,000-100,000 gallons, $2 per thousand; more than 100,000 gallons, $1.50 per thousand (irrigation rate). New York State Parks users: $329.61 minimum; $182.29 for the first 100,000 gallons and $1.50 per thousand for more than 100,000 gallons. Village of Youngstown users: $1.66 per thousand.

Sewer: Village of Youngstown and Fort Niagara State Park, both at $.05 per thousand; Town of Porter, 0-7,000 gallons, $28.25; more than 7,000 gallons, $4.05 per thousand.

•The Town Board approved the second Monday of each month, starting at 7 p.m., for its regular meetings. The lone exception would be October, when the meeting would be held Tuesday, Oct. 12, due to the Columbus Day holiday.

•Speaking of holidays, board members spent considerable time on the topic of days off, when Fleckenstein raised issue with the number of days afforded as holidays. “Fourteen days off? I worked for a private company and we don’t get that many,” he said.

Specifically, Fleckenstein had questions with the Friday following Thanksgiving being a paid day off. “I don’t agree with that day off,” he said, telling board members if his employees want the day off, he’ll give them the day, but without pay. “I don’t understand the thinking here … we’re working on the taxpayer’s money, I don’t understand this.”

“I personally have never had 13 days off,” Fleckenstein continued, telling board members and town officials, “Times are changing, costs are going up, and a lot of people are hurting.”

Town officials seemed a little perplexed on how to respond to Fleckenstein’s issues. Wiepert suggested that other changes could be considered other than modifying holidays. Baker moved soon after to have the holiday schedule approved as written. The measure passed with only Fleckenstein voting no. Councilman White said he agreed with Fleckenstein and that changes could be considered. The matter was left with the board to review the item further over the year.

Further organizational actions included approving: Town Hall hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; official town banks, HSBC, Youngstown and First Niagara Commercial bank, Troy; mileage rates: at 50 cents per mile, and the official town newspaper, the Niagara Gazette.

For additional town organizational listings for 2010, visit the Town of Porter Web site at TownofPorter.net.