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Town of Porter reorganizes for 2020

Fri, Jan 24th 2020 05:10 pm

Staff Reports

The Town of Porter got down to business for 2020 at its annual reorganization meeting, held in early January at Town Hall.

The session saw a number of appointments as well as board approvals, including the setting of the town’s holiday calendar, Town Board meeting dates, designations and approval of contracts.

Leading off, Supervisor John “Duffy” Johnston extended the board’s appreciation to Irene Myers who left the Town Board following her election to the 1st District Niagara County Legislature seat.

“She will be missed,” Johnston said as he welcomed newly appointed Town Councilman Jipp Ortiz to the Town Board.

From there, the town went on to approve a number of measures, including:

•The re-appointment of town attorney Michael J. Dowd as town prosecutor at a salary of $8,670 for 2020. Dowd was also re-appointed town attorney at a salary of $21,930, to be distributed as follows: $10,914 for town attorney; $5,508 for attorney, town Planning Board; and $5,508 for attorney, town Zoning Board of Appeals.

•The setting of Town Board meetings for the balance of 2020. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. Mondays on the following dates: Feb. 10, March 9, April 13, May 11, June 8, July 13, Aug. 10, Sept. 14, Nov. 9 and Dec. 14. The October session will be held Tuesday, Oct. 13, due to the Columbus holiday.

•The town holiday schedule includes: President’s Day, Monday, Feb. 17; Good Friday, Friday, April 10; town floating holiday, Monday, April 13; Memorial Day, Monday, May 25; Independence Day, Friday, July 3; Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7; Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 12; Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11; Thanksgiving holidays, Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26-27; Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25; and New Year’s Day, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021.

•The setting of salaries for town officials. Included are: Town Supervisor Johnston, $35,769; Town Clerk Kara Hibbard, $43,526; and Town Highway Superintendent Dave Burmaster, $39,851. Burmaster is also compensated as follows: water/sewer, $33,883; building, $510; and parks, $1,020.

Other town officials include: councilmen Tim Adamson, Jeff Baker, Ortiz and Larry White, $7,308.30. Baker is also compensated $525.34 for the office of deputy supervisor. Other salaries include town justices David Truesdale and Wayne Pollow, $18,942.62 each; Supervisor’s Secretary Kimberli Boyer, $45,116; Deputy Town Clerk Elaine Porto, $37,811; Assessor Lena Villella, $30,000; and Town Building/Code Enforcement Officer Peter Jeffery, $45,062.

•Town supervisor’s committees include: deputy supervisor, Baker; insurance, Hibbard, Boyer and Lisa Hastings; water, Burmaster and Baker; sewer, Burmaster and White; land, all Town Board members and Jeffery; cable TV, White; refuse, Hibbard, Boyer and Baker; audit committee, Adamson and White; drainage, Burmaster and Baker; GIS, Burmaster and Boyer; and employee compensation, Hibbard, Boyer and White.

•Liaison appointments include: CWM Citizens Advisory Committee, Johnston, Baker and J. Anthony Collard; Village of Youngstown, Johnston; Recreation Department, White; Niagara Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, Baker; fire companies, Truesdale, Youngstown and Baker, Ransomville; human relations, Johnston, Boyer and Dowd; highways, Burmaster, Adamson and White; buildings, Truesdale, Johnston and Jeffery; Planning Board, Ortiz; Zoning Board of Appeals, Baker and White; historical societies, Ortiz; Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce, Johnston and Baker; LOOW Restoration Advisory Board, all Town Board members; and Niagara River Greenway (NYPA), White and Adamson.

Other appointments included: Jackie Robinson, re-appointed as chair, Zoning Board of Appeals for 2020; Collard, re-appointed as chair, Planning Board; Mark Fox, re-appointed to the Planning Board, Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2024; Nancy Smithson, reappointed secretary, ZBA; Amy Freiermuth, re-appointed secretary, Planning Board; and Ryan Ross, appointed to the Planning Board to replace Ortiz, through Dec. 31, 2022.

•Town water rates are as follows: 0-7,000 gallons, $20.50 minimum; 7-20,000 gallons, $3.13 per thousand; 20,000-100,000 gallons, $2.87 per thousand; over 100,000 gallons, $2.37 per thousand (irrigation rate); New York State Parks (minimum), 0-193,240 gallons, $395.54; 193,240-9,999,999 gallons, $1.80; Village of Youngstown, $2 per thousand.

•Town sewer rates are as follows: Town of Porter, 0-7,000 gallons, $39.90; over 7,000 gallons, $5.70 per thousand; Fort Niagara State Park, $5.20 per thousand; and Village of Youngstown, 65 cents per thousand. Treatment rate to the town of Lewiston Water Pollution Control Center is $3.55 per thousand gallons.

Contracts approved by the Town Board for 2020 include: industrial development (NIACAP), $4,000; American Legion O Leo Curtis Post 830 (maintenance) Ransomville, $2,500; VFW Lake Ontario Post 313, Youngstown, $2,500; Ransomville Rural Retirees (services) aging, $700; Youngstown Free Library, $80,219; William J. McLaughlin Free Library, $80,219; Ransomville historical project (maintenance, History Room) $2,000; Town of Porter Historical Society (program maintenance) $2,000; Ransomville Community Faire (Ransomville historical project) $1,000; Lighting of the Wreaths (Ransomville historical project) $2,000; Ransomville Business and Professional Association (beautification) $1,000; Ransomville Garden Club flowers, $700; Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce annual contract, $10,000; Niagara Pioneer Soccer League, $500; Wilson Youth Baseball (baseball program), $500; and Ransomville Rural Retirees (activity program) $3,000.

•Wrapping up, under miscellaneous authorizations:

  • Town Hall hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday.
  • KeyBank was designated the town’s official bank.
  • The Lewiston-Porter Sentinel has been designated as the town’s official newspaper.
  • The town’s mileage rate is 58 cents per mile.

More information on the Town Board approvals from the reorganization meeting, including various town fees, can be found at www.townofporter.net.

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