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With money tight in many businesses and organizations, it has often become the case that work has to be performed with fewer people and hours. For the town of Pomfret, which is facing tax increases in its proposed budget, providing more of either does not appear to be in the picture. At a Wednesday public hearing on the proposed budget, resident Michael Barris suggested that the budget line for the deputy town clerk be increased to account for 35 hours of work per week. The increase in hours, according to Barris, would free Town Clerk Roberta Valentine up more to perform eliminations of old files. “The clerk has a need to purge the files in her office in accordance with the New York State retention schedule,” Barris said. “In 2006, I scanned the files and I observed there are many documents from beginning in 1983. The New York State retention schedule requires that documents be purged after 6 years unless they fit into some historical category.” Supervisor Don Steger said to add that many hours to the deputy town clerk position would require a change in categorization to full-time worker and could not be afforded with current budget considerations. Valentine said she appreciated Barris’s concern with the matter, but that she has been keeping up with her own retention schedule and that, “given the signs of the times and this board’s efforts to keep the budget down to a bare minimum,” she would not feel comfortable requesting added assistance. Grants are available through the state to fund file retention programs, Valentine added, but most have been drastically cut by the Legislature. The tax increases under the 2010 Pomfret proposed budget have been scaled down from a prior version to 5-cenincreases for residents both inside and outside the village. The tax rate inside the village would be $3.43 per thousand dollars assessed property value, down from $3.46 in a previous rendition of the proposed budget. Residents outside the village would pay $4.95 per thousand dollars assessed property value, down from $5.07. Steger attributed the increases to a “lack of revenues and an increased utility- and employee-related expenses.” The budget is expected to be adopted at the next town board meeting. If not then, the budget must be adopted before Nov. 20. No other concerns regarding the proposed budget were brought up at the public hearing, although a request was made during the hearing to later adjourn to an executive session for possible personnel and legal matters. Water and sewer were the main topics following the public hearing, including discussion of possibly combining water services with the towns of Portland and Dunkirk. Steger said that he had asked the town’s engineers about the possibility of forming a three-way collaborative water district after receiving a letter from Portland requesting that a meeting be scheduled regarding shared services for line repair. The figurative district would run only along the main water transmission line, from the Dunkirk city boundary to the Portland water tower. “There may be something we can do toward maybe making it a Route 5 water district, with the three municipalities,” Steger said. “You’re going to pay — let’s just use a flat figure — a dollar to start. And then if you have a mile of pipeline, you’ll pay by whatever the pipeline is in your district to that. And then (the three towns) won’t specifically be responsible for paying for repairs or replacement for that main transmission line.” Town water meters were also discussed after a Chestnut Road resident reportedly replaced his water meter to have his next water bill be about three times higher than his former average cost. It was uncertain whether the new or old water meter was defective, but it was decided that, with such an increase, the customer would be charged based on the former average and the new water meter itself would be replaced. “The customer is a taxpayer,” Highway Superintendent James Oakes said, “and, if there’s any benefit of the doubt that the meter might not be functioning properly, we would like to treat this person as a human being other than sending him a $400, $500 or $600 water bill that’s been done in the past.” If the next water meter showed the same figures as the current meter, the customer will likely be charged based on that meter from then on. It was suggested, based on the questionable conditions of water meters around the village, that a standard 15-year lifespan on the devices be included in town policy. In other matters: ¯ An error in parcels and buildings in the Lily Dale Assembly has apparently led to the assembly being incorrectly charged for sewer service for what is essentially a vacant lot. The building on the next parcel over, which partly overlaps onto the neighboring parcel, serves as both a home and business and should have been charged for two sewer units since 2005. The Pomfret Town Board recognized the error and the need to correct it and will seek to negotiate with Lily Dale on their requested refund. ¯ The town board adopted a motion to initiate a speed limit reduction study on Frisbee Road from the driveway of the Cassadaga Job Corps Center to the town line (aka County Road 48). The speed limit on that stretch of road is currently 55 mph. ¯ Councilman William Hart reported that Amy Frazita resigned from the position of parks and recreation director, citing too many other outside duties. Roger Pacos has been appointed to the position. ¯ Councilwoman Patricia Christina reported that a Pomfret voting site had proven greatly difficult to access by an individual in a wheelchair and that the issue would be addressed to the proper representatives. Send comments to tlatshaw@observertoday.com

 

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