Lewiston Town Board to discuss master plan

The Town of Lewiston announced this week it will hold a Comprehensive Plan update session with representatives of Wendel Duchscherer Engineers on Thursday, Dec. 16, at 3 p.m. at Lewiston Town Hall. Town Supervisor Steve Reiter, along with Town Board members, town attorneys, the town building inspector, plus the town's planning, zoning and environmental chairs, are all expected to attend the meeting, which will discuss the town's master plan. The session is open to the public.

In other news and notes:

• The town finalized and adopted its $14,374,054 budget for 2011 last month -- one that, as it turns out, brings no town tax for Lewiston property owners as had been feared. It comes with a 3 percent pay increase for non-union town employees, excluding Town Council members, the supervisor, highway superintendent and the finance director.

Michael Johnson, who serves as finance director, said that, thanks to cooperation and concessions among all departments, the town was able to dodge the tax bullet. "Cooperation made all these taxes go away," said Johnson.

He pointed to the town's Highway Department, which assisted by embarking on a shared services relationship with the town's Drainage Department as one example. "We're combining two departments, absorbing costs," said Highway Superintendent Doug Janese, who reported that by combining the two he was able to group purchasing pipe expenditures for under one capital fund and remove a layer of a supervisor position. By doing so, Janese was able to pad his capital fund by $109,000. "Small things, but when you look at the entire picture, they add up," said Janese. 

• The Town Board announced it would hold a public hearing on the dog control law, Monday, Dec. 13, at 5:45 p.m., prior to the scheduled Town Board work session. The matter will address the town's forthcoming handling procedures for dog licensing in the future, coming off the state's transferring that responsibility to municipalities.
• The town also announced it will hold its final auditing meeting on Thursday, Dec. 30, at 6 p.m., coinciding with the regular Town Board meeting for the month.