Town of Porter reorganizes for 2019

Staff Reports

The Town of Porter has set the stage for business in 2019 with a host of reorganizational matters approved recently. Included were a number of appointments, resolutions and designations as the town set operations for the year.

Leading off, the following salaries were approved for elected town officials, with salaries for other town employees set per individual salary schedules. Elected town officials include: supervisor, $35,067; town clerk, $42,623; highway superintendent, $41,381; water/sewer, $33,883; town justice (two), $18,571.14; tax collector, $6,554; deputy supervisor, $7,680; and council members (three), $7,165.

Town holidays include: Good Friday, Friday, April 19; Memorial Day, Monday, May 27; Independence Day, Thursday, July 4; floating holiday (used in lieu of Election Day), Friday, July 5; Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 14; Thanksgiving holidays, Thursday and Friday, Nov. 28 and 29; Christmas Day, Wednesday, Dec. 25; and New Years Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020.

The Town Board regular meeting schedule for the balance of the year includes: 7 p.m. Mondays, March 11, April 8, May 13, June 10, July 8, Aug. 12, Sept. 9 and Dec. 9. Town Board work sessions precede the regular meetings at 6 p.m.

Alternate regular Town Board meetings due to Monday holidays will take place Tuesday, Oct. 15 (for Columbus Day), and Tuesday, Nov. 12 (for Veterans Day).

Town Hall operating hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday.

KeyBank has been designated the official town bank while the Lewiston-Porter Sentinel was designated official town newspaper.

Miscellaneous appointments for 2019 include Supervisor John “Duffy” Johnston as budget officer, Glenn M. Caverly as stormwater management officer, and Johnston and Councilman Tim Adamson to the Porter on the Lake committee for 2019.

Rotella Grant Management was reappointed as town grant writer for 2019. The appointment is on a month-to-month basis, on a $700 monthly retainer and 2 percent commission, for a maximum of $5,000. A commission will be paid when a grant check is received.

Attorney Michael J. Dowd was reappointed as town prosecutor at a salary of $8,670 for 2019. Dowd was also reappointed as attorney for the town at a salary of $21,930, to be distributed as follows: $10,914 for town attorney, $5,508 for Zoning Board of Appeals attorney and $5,508 for Planning Board attorney.

Town Board reappointments include: Jackie Robinson as chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals for 2019; Anthony Collard as chair of the Planning Board for 2019; Nancy Smithson, secretary of ZBA for 2019; Amy Freiermuth, secretary of the Planning Board for 2019; and Robert Tower, Planning Board member, for the term of Jan. 1, 2019, thru Dec. 31, 2023.

Supervisor’s committees for 2019 include: Deputy Supervisor Jeff Baker; insurance, Kara Hibbard, Mary Siegrist and Lisa Hastings; water, Johnston, Scott Hillman and Baker; sewer, Johnston, Hillman and Larry White; land, all Town Board members and Peter Jeffrey; cable TV, Irene Myers and White; refuse, Myers, Siegrist and Baker; audit committee, Adamson and White; drainage, Hillman and Baker; G.I.S., Sue Driscoll (coordinator), Hillman and Siegrist; and employee compensation, White, Hibbard and Siegrist.

Liaisons appointments include: CWM Citizens Advisory Committee, Johnston, Baker and Collard; Village of Youngstown, Johnston; Recreation Department, White; Niagara Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, Baker; libraries, White; fire companies, Dave Truesdale, Youngstown; and Baker, Ransomville.

Also, human relations, Johnston, Siegrist and Dowd; highways, Hillman, Adamson and White; buildings, Johnston, Peter Jeffery, Hillman and Truesdale; Planning Board, Johnston and Myers; Zoning Board, Baker and White; historical societies, Myers; Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce, Johnston and Baker; LOOW Restoration Advisory Board, Town Board; and Greenway (New York Power Authority), White and Adamson.

Town water rates, effective Jan. 1, are set as follows: 0-7,000 gallons, $16 minimum; 7,000-20,000 gallons, $2.51 per 1,000; 20,000-100,000 gallons, $2.25 per 1,000; over 100,000 gallons, $1.75 per 1,000 (irrigation); New York State Parks, $329.61 minimum; first 100,000 gallons, $182.29; over 100,000 gallons, $1.50 per 1,000; and Village of Youngstown, $1.66 per 1,000.

All water bills are charged an additional 10 percent surcharge, to be used to build the town’s reserve account for anticipated water structure improvements.

Town sewer rates, effective Jan. 1, are as follows: 0-7,000 gallons, $6.05 per 1,000; over 7,000 gallons, $6.05 per 1,000; Village of Youngstown, $5.15 per 1,000; and Fort Niagara State Park, $5.15 per 1,000.

Treatment rate to the Town of Lewiston Water Pollution Control Center is $3.45 per 1,000 gallons.

Town contracts approved for 2019 include: Care-N-Share Food Pantry, $1,000; NICAP (industrial development), $4,000; American Legion O. Leo Curtis Post 830 (maintenance), $2,000; VFW Lake Ontario Post 313, $2,000; Ransomville rural retirees, $500; Niagara River Region Chamber, $10,000; Youngstown Free Library, $80,219; William J. McLaughlin Library, Ransomville, $80,219; Ransomville Historical Society, $2,000; Town of Porter Historical Society, $2,000; Ransomville Community Faire, $1,000; Ransomville Lighting of the Wreaths, $2,000; Ransomville Business and Professional Association, $1,000; Ransomville Garden Club, $700; Niagara Pioneer Soccer League, $500; Wilson Youth Baseball, $500; and Ransomville rural retirees, $3,000.

For more town organizational approvals for 2019, including designated town building, zoning and planning fees; water/sewer fees; and town procurement fees, visit the town website at www.townofporter.net.