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1986-11-20 Moo.o• TOWN BOARD MEETING NOVEMBER 20, 1986 7:36 P.M. TOWN BOARD MEMBERS Mrs. Frances Walter - Supervisor Mr. George Kurosaka - Councilman Mr. Stephen Borgos - Councilman Mr. Ronald Montesi - Councilman Mrs. Betty Monahan - Councilman PRESS: Glens Falls Post Star PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE LED BY: Town Clerk, Darleen Dougher SUPERVISOR WALTER- The purpose of the meeting this evening is to make any changes after the Public Hearing for the 1987 budget and to adopt that budget... I would start by saying changes in the preliminary budget appear on... A0351100106 Court Clerk $16,000.00 A0451220104 Bookkeeper 18,500.00 A0451220105 Confidential Secretary 14,000.00 A0651330112 Receiver of Taxes 14,200.00 A0751340114 Budget Officer 1,800.00 A0851345115 Purchasing Agent 1,200.00 A0951355116 Assessor 22,500.00 A 10 5141012 0 Deputy Town Clerk 12,200.00 A17 5 3 41016 3 Fire Code Enforc.Off. 12,800.00 A1853510164 Dog Control Officer 13,400.00 A2 0 5 7 31013 3 Youth Service Director 22,000.00 A2158010136 Building & Code Enf.Off. 21 ,500.00 A2158010137 Ass't. Building Inspec. (3) 53,500.00 A2258020162 Town Planner 22,000.00 A2351910440 Unallocated Insurance 129,558.00 A2357450440 Museum Contractual(Hyde) 11,500.00 A2357520440 Chapman Museum 8,600.00 A2359060800 Employee Benefits(Hosp.) 132,000.00 A2359901900 Interfund Transfer from A fund to Pine View Cemetery 114,000.00 A2359901901 Interfund Transfer from A to the Highway Acct. 1 ,365,175.00 A3255010130 Deputy Super. of Highway 23,500.00 A3255010131 Parts Shop Foreman 17,000.00 A3255010132 Administrative Secretary 11,600.00 02458810138 Cemetery Superintendent 19,000.00 D1655142144 Highway Heavy Equip.Oper. 120,500.00 J12658160160 Solid Waste Facility Oper. 25,000.00 W12758310132 Confidential Sec. 11,600.00 W12 7 5 8 31014 9 Water Superintendent 27,000.00 W12758310150 Deputy Superintendent 3,000.00 W12758330154 Chief Water Treatment Operator 22,500.00 W12758340155 Maintenance Supervisor 22,600.00 COUNCILMAN MONTESI-Asked if all the changes in the employees salaries have a corresponding change in the benefits such as Social Security etc. SUPERVISOR WALTER-Yes. A2232115 Revenue Code-Planning Fees 4,000.00 A2331170 Revenue-Cable Vision 28,000.00 A2333005 Morgage Tax-Revenue 190,000.00 A2331120 Sales Tax 2,400,000.00 W12732140 Water Rev. Meter Sales 560,000.00 C2432810 General Fund Transfer Pine View Cemetery 114,000.00 D1632810 Highway Revenue Acct. 1,365,175.00 SUPERVISOR WALTER-Noted that these were the only changes made from the preliminary budget as was pointed out there are corresponding changes in the codes for the employees benefits that will be applied. For the record the appropriations for the Town of Queensbury in 1987 activities are $9,139,884.00; $2,221,130.00 will be raised by taxes; $6,290,436.00 of those appropriations are Town wide; $5,314,665.00 of the revenues offset the expenses and another $500,000.00 of surplus monies will be applied to that balance leaving $214,771.00 to be raised in taxes throughout the town. That means each taxpayer will pay $1.05 per thousand in Town taxes. That is eleven cents more a thousand than last year or on the average assessment of $20,000.00 __ ___ ------- a property owner will pay in 1987, $21.00 a year for all highways, recreation, The Town's Administration, security protection contract, animal control and all those things that are Town wide. The fire and ambulance cost to the Town will be $818,941.00. That means that the fire protection district will increase to $3.90 a thousand which is (300 thirty cents over last years rate. This amount of $818,941.00 covers all Contractual agreements with five independents fire companies in the town and three rescue squads. The water districts under consolidation will pay $7.12 a thousand which was last years rate, there is no change in this. Other water districts either remain the same or they decrease except Clendon Brook District which appears on the tax bill for the first time this year. Lighting Districts are reduced or remain the same as does the Pershing, Ashley, Coolidge and Reservoir Park Sewer Districts. Quaker Road Sewer District does not appear on the tax bills this year. Noted that the Town Board spent a great deal of time on their own and as a body to discuss each budgeted item and also look at the revenue side of the budget. Tonight they have come up with a most acceptable bottom line and commended them for their efforts and ask for comments from the Board Members? COUNCILMAN BORGOS-Noted that it had been an interesting experience. Said with the increase for the typical family in Queensbury amounts to $2.20 per year increase and I am personally delighted that it is that low, considering especially the fact that revenue sharing is gone. In the case of the Fire Department and Rescue Squad, noted that some people think that seems like a high number, but if we take national figures, the cost of personnel for fire and rescue is normally 90% of the budget and we are really looking at about (10%) ten percent of what it would cost because we are strictly volunteer. So we could figure without the volunteers the Town Citizens would be paying about nine times that eight hundred thousand dollars or somewhere over seven million dollars. COUNCILMAN MONTESI-Addressed the public on the issue of raising the supervisory position salary and that of the Town Board Members...We felt that if someone was running a business with a budget of eight million dollars, they certainly would command, on the open market today, more than $21,000.00 a year salary. We also looked at other like funded organizations, such as school administrators, wondered if people looked at what is being paid to these Superintendents of schools which is in the range of $45,000.00 and $55,000.00 a year...also the principals of schools are paid from $30,000.00 to $45,000.00 a year and administrator assistance for these `- board of education, about $30,000.00. I think we as a town and Town Board Members are very visible and accountable and very accessible to the Public to answer questions. The one issue about this salary is that, why don't you raise it next year when you are coming up for election, I think that is a valid consideration, maybe next year we will have a Town Administrator and a part time Supervisor, and on the Administrator, if we had to go out on open market I am sure it would command somewhere between $35,000.00 and $40,000.00 a year. We are preparing for the future in many respects. COUNCILMAN MONAHAN-What year is our per capita income based on? SUPERVISOR WALTER-1980 COUNCILMAN MONAHAN-I think people,should be aware of this because our population has had one of its greatest surges since 1980 and we do not get our per capita income based on our true population. I just what to elaborate a little bit more on what Steve said, about the fire companies because the raise is roughly around thirty-one cents, also the ambulance contracts to. It is the same area when you draw it on the map but there are a lot more streets in most of these areas. There are different types of protection you are getting now, like commercial, and industrial. Referred to the fire at the Pavilion her father built and how the firemen responded to this and saw that their first concern was for the house that was in her family for years and in which five or six people were sleeping, and their first concern was to see the people were out first. There is no doubt in my mind of the trained calibre of firemen we have in this town, that they are having to buy more and more sophisticated equipment, they have protected gear now that is State mandated and a lot of additional expenses. They are doing a lot on their own to raise money. I will ask that every citizen in the Town of Queensbury to please not forget your local fire companies and local ambulance companies, this helps them, and makes them feel that the citizens are behind them. The low tax on the general tax fund is a reflection on the conservativeness of the Board. We have been able to accumulate Town capital funds for Gurney Lane improvement that is paid for in full, we have had to put in new tanks out here and we have the money to do that but you don't see these monies reflected in your tax role because of good management by Boards in the past and I assume that this Board is going on to follow those practices. Commended our Budget Officer for the fiscal policies she has established, the way she has prepared the budget and thanked all the Department Headswho tried to keep all their figures in line with good service to the Town. COUNCILMAN KUROSAKA-My comment is that the previous Boards have been very conscious about many things and we are also but in a different way, we are a little more progressive in other ways. Our philosophy this year was to take care of our people first and upgrade their salaries and I think it is a great reflection on my colleagues and Supervisor that we can keep a loss of $150,000.00 in revenue sharing and increase our services and apply a larger amount of surplus funds in our budgeting and come out with such a small tax increase. We hope we can keep this up year after year. PUBLIC SPEAKER-Spoke regarding the Supervisor's salary plus $8,500 from the County, plus salary for Budget Officer, plus a secretary, plus an Assistant, I think the local government is getting pretty expensive. F COUNCILMAN MONTESI-Commented on the secretary, that position has been here since Mike Brandt. SUPERVISOR WALTER-Asked if he knew what the functions of the Supervisor was? PUBLIC SPEAKER-I should, I was one in Fulton County for many years. SUPERVISOR WALTER-I asked what the duties of the Queensbury Town Supervisor are? PUBLIC SPEAKER-That would take too much time... SUPERVISOR WALTER- It would take too much time as the office include the duties of the Fiscal Officer, Legislative Office, Administrative, Personnel, Publicity Office, The Labor Manager Office and all the other things that it is and you are treating it as though it were nothing at all. In any kind of a situation where you have a business, you certainly have a staff. The Supervisor's Office has been pretty much a one man office for many years. It has gotten to the point in Queensbury where you have to expand the office. Noted that she was not shirking her duties and if she left someone else would have to come in and this is the salary for the position. COUNCILMAN MONTESI-In last years budget there was a dollar amount allocated for an administrator's position and that position was never filled because this Board and Mrs. Walter did not have a handle on it as to what that position should be. Now with a year under our belt we felt that position should be reinstated again. COUNCILMAN KUROSAKA-Reviewed the history of the existence of the Town Board and growing population in the Town of Queensbury, noted that the Supervisors' job is no longer a part time job, it is a full time job now. COUNCILMAN MONTESI-Noted that an audit was received from the Department of OGS, Office of General Services, to the Highway Department and they were checking as to how we are utilizing the equipment that we are buying at auctions. The order was very well taken as far as Queensbury was concerned, the office felt we were utilizing the equipment to a very high degree in making substantial savings to the taxpayers by going to these auctions and buying this equipment and there is good management there also. COUNCILMAN BORGOS-If we didn't adopt salary increases this year that were significant enough to encourage people to come out and run for election next year, the timing of that next year would be as such that the budget wouldn't be adopted until after the election. So in looking to get competent people to sit in any of these chairs, many of us felt that the salaries offered had toAb$ignificant enough to try to get some people out. This way people will now see what the salaries are and hopefully this will encourage people to think about running for Town Office. We've made a good step in the right direction. COUNCILMAN MONAHAN-I am starting my sixth year on the Town Board and during that time, I will say the work of this Board and the Supervisor's office has probably increased at least 50%. We have established six new water districts, a sewer district that probably took a year and a half of work to do it, we established a L.D.C., Land Development Corporation, we, established a Planning Department, which meant a lot of interviewing of people to run Y that Department. During those years this is the first time we've hired an Insurance Consultant and went out to get quotes from Insurance Companies, which meant that we had an immediate decrease in our insurance. We've increased the recreation facilities, buying more land for recreation, the L.D.C. is working on an Industrial Park that is going to bring industry into town which will provide employment. We moved the Justice Court out of this building to meet the needs and now has its own facilities. We are now meeting with architects to plan a new wing for this building because of all the personnel it takes to run this town, also a new Senior Citizen Building. We have had numerous Public Hearings because of issues that have come up because of the increased growth in the town. Another additional increase in the area was the Greater Glens Falls Transportation Council. Now we are looking to move from our landfill to a trash 3(o3 burning facility...these are some of the changes I can think of right off the top of my head and the work in the Supervisors office and the work this Board has to do has been tremendous. RESOLUTIONS RESOLUTION ADOPTING 1987 ANNUAL BUDGET AND SALARY SCHEDULE RESOLUTION NO.295, Introduced by Mr. Stephen Borgos who moved for its adoption, seconded by Mrs. Betty Monahan. WHEREAS, the Town Board has met at the time and place specified in the notice of the Public Hearing on the Preliminary Budget and heard all persons desiring to be heard thereon, and WHEREAS, Section 27 of Town Law provides for the setting of salaries of officers and employees of the Town, NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that this Town Board does hereby adopt such Preliminary Budget, as amended, as the Town of Rueensbury Annual Budget of 1987 and that such budget shall be entered in the minutes of the proceedings of the Town Board, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town Board of Rueensbury hereby adopts the 1987 salary schedule included in the 1987 Adopted Budget, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town Clerk of this Town shall prepare and certify duplicate copies of said Annual Budget as adopted by the Town Board together with estimates if any adopted pursuant to Section 202A Subdivision 2 of the Town Law and deliver one copy thereof to the Supervisor of this Town to be presented by her to the Board of Supervisors of the County. Duly adopted by the following vote. Ayes: Mr. Kurosaka, Mr. Borgos, Mr. Montesi, Mrs. Monahan, Mrs. Walter Noes: None Absent: None (Budget to be found on next page) RESOLUTION TO APPROVE GAMES OF CHANCE LICENSE RESOLUTION NO.296, Introduced by Mr. George Kurosaka who moved for its adoption, seconded by Mr. Stephen Borgos. RESOLVED, that Games of Chance License No. 2308 be and hereby is approved allowing The American Diabetes Association to hold Games of Chance at the Knights of Columbus Hall on November 28th and 29th 1986. Duly adopted by the following vote: Ayes: Mr. Kurosaka, Mr. Borgos, Mr. Montesi, Mrs. Monahan, Mrs. Walter Noes: None Absent: None Ltr. from C.B. Sports regarding water service on file. RESOLUTION TO PROVIDE WATER SERVICE RESOLUTION NO.297, Introduced by Mr. Kurosaka who moved for its adoption, seconded by Mr. Ronald Montesi. WHEREAS, CB Sports, Inc. has requested water service from the Queensbury Water District and WHEREAS, the Town Board of Rueensbury wishes to cooperate with the City of Glens Falls in encouraging business and industry to locate in our area, NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the provision of water service to CB Sports contingent upon receipt of a letter from the Mayor of the City of Glens Falls (acting as Water Board Chairman) expressing the desire of the City of Glens Falls to have the Queensbury Water District provide such service to a business located in his municipality. Duly adopted by the following vote: Ayes: Mr. Kurosaka, Mr. Borgos, Mr. Montesi, Airs. Monahan, Mrs. Walter Noes: None Absent: None ON MOTION THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED DARLEEN DOUGHER, TOWN CLERK 3