Town of Porter reorganizes for 2011

by Terry Duffy

The Town of Porter took care of 2011 reorganizational matters in routine fashion at its Monday session. Included among the vast amount of logistical items were: numerous appointments; salary schedules; holiday schedules; the setting of Town Board meetings; town fees; miscellaneous authorizations; the setting of Town Board committees and liaisons; plus procurement and cash management policies.

"The usual," commented Town Clerk Gail Zachary as she began documenting and implementing in practice the procedural directives this past week.

Recapping the many actions, the Porter Board approved:

•The reappointment Michael J. Dowd as town attorney for 2011 at a salary of $20,000. His duties will encompass work on town-wide matters, zoning and planning, review and authorization of contacts for the town. Dowd was also reappointed to serve as town prosecutor for 2011 at a salary of $8,200.

•Appointment of CRA Infrastructure and Engineering as town engineer for 2011, at a contracted rate of $7,200.

•The setting of the town's 2011 holiday schedule.

•The schedule of Town Board meetings for 2011. Town Board regular meetings will take place the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. The lone exception will be in October when the board will meet Tuesday, Oct. 11, due to the Columbus Day holiday. Town Board work sessions, also open to the public, are typically held the preceding Thursday at Town Hall.

•The setting of salaries. These include: town supervisor, $29,391 per year; four town councilmen, $7,165 each per year; two town justices, $16,242 each per year; town clerk, $36,745 per year; town highway superintendent, $34,355 per year, and confidential secretary to the supervisor, $39,411 per year.

Also approved were various salaries and appointments as budgeted from the town's general A Fund, general B Fund, the Highway Department, plus the setting of additional benefits as budgeted. However the board at its Monday session opted to table the 2011 contract for town grant writer Bernie Rotella for further discussion.

•The setting of water and sewer rates for 2011. Water rates are as follows: 0-7,000 gallons, $15.75 minimum; 7,000-20,000 gallons, $2.26 per thousand; 20,000-100,000 gallons, $2 per thousand; over 100,000 gallons, $1.50 per thousand (the irrigation rate).

New York State Parks water rate minimum, $329.61; first 100,000 gallons, $182.29; over 100,000 gallons, $1.50 per thousand.

Village of Youngstown rates are $1.66 per thousand.

 Water bills will also carry a 10 percent surcharge, to be used to build up the town's water reserve account for anticipated capital projects.

Sewer rates are as follows: Village of Youngstown, $4.05 per thousand; Fort Niagara State Park, $4.05 per thousand; Town of Porter, 0-7,000 gallons, $28.25, and more than 7,000 gallons, $4.05 per thousand.

The treatment rate to the Town of Lewiston is $2.75 per thousand gallons.

•The appointment of Tim Lockhart as Porter's storm water management officer for 2011.

•Miscellaneous appointments, including Supervisor Mert Wiepert as budget officer, Sue Lambert as chair of the Town of Porter Recreation Commission, and Robert Reese as grounds person for Porter on the Lake Town Park.

•The setting of fees, including for building/planning zoning; and storm water matters.

•The setting of town clerk fees. Included are: Dog licenses, spayed/neutered, $10; not spayed/neutered, $18; purebred, $25. Others included the setting of fees for publications such as town subdivision regulations; the town zoning book; master plan; zoning maps; FOIL documents; minutes of meetings; copies of marriage, death and birth certificates; plus the setting of fax and photocopy charges.

•The appointment of William "Bill" Tower to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The board reappointed Nancy Smithson secretary of the Zoning Board of Appeals and tabled its appointment of a chairman.

•The reappointment of George Spira to the Planning Board for the term of Jan. 1, 2011, to Dec. 31, 2015. Spira was appointed Planning Board chairman for 2011 and Pamela Parker was reappointed secretary.

•The appointing of Town Board members and other officials to comprise the supervisor's 11 committees, covering such areas as water, sewer, drainage, land use, cable TV and refuse; and the appointments for 16 liaisons, which cover such interests as CWM, Greenway, the Village of Youngstown, the Town Recreation Department, local fire companies; area libraries, the town's planning and zoning boards, area chambers of commerce, the Master Plan Committee, highways, buildings and the Lake Ontario Ordnance Works.

•Contracts as budgeted to 24 organizations representing various government, cultural and civic interests in the Village of Youngstown, the hamlet of Ransomville, Town of Porter and Town of Wilson.

The town's procurement policy and its cash management policy.

•Miscellaneous authorizations, including: setting of Town Hall hours, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and designating the town's official banks as HSBC, Youngstown, and First Niagara Commercial, Troy, N.Y.

On a closing matter, Zachary, responding to errors in tax bills regarding acceptance dates for payment, advises residents that tax bills can be paid in person at Town Hall on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout the month of January.