Featured Story

Highway, Public Works budgets leave open questions

Public Works Commissioner and Highway Department Superintendent Jay Card Jr. makes the case for his 2017 budget, along with a pitch for a raise to bring his salary in line with what others doing such work in neighboring towns are earning. With him is department secretary Debra Speeches. (Credit: Julie Lane)
Public Works Commissioner and Highway Department Superintendent Jay Card Jr. makes the case for his 2017 budget, along with a pitch for a raise to bring his salary in line with what others doing such work in neighboring towns are earning. With him is department secretary Debra Speeches. (Credit: Julie Lane)

The elephant has returned to the Town Board chambers.

It’s budget time and board members have tackled the most complex and expensive proposals from the Highway and Public Works departments, leaving open a number of issues to be decided in the coming weeks. 

As the Town Board pores over Supervisor Jim Dougherty’s $10.6 million proposal, it has already met with Jay Card Jr., who oversees Highway and Public Works, and with department chiefs and committee chairs about their requests for funding.

Unlike the somewhat contentious meetings of years past, when Mr. Card and Town Engineer John C. Cronin Jr. tried unsuccessfully to hammer home the need for a capital account for maintenance of assets, the message this year is softer and focused on seeking funds to establish an ongoing means of putting all town assets on a regular schedule for upgrades and repairs.

In the past, Supervisor Jim Dougherty has resisted taxing for a maintenance account, arguing that since he has been at the helm, there has always been enough money to deal with projects as the need becomes critical.

Whether he has changed his stance at all is unclear, but there may be some movement among other Town Board members to begin putting some money in a fund to allow planned maintenance instead of awaiting a critical stage.

Two factors may have motivated the change: delays on putting a new roof on the medical center, which may have resulted in more serious damage to the building; and an inability to put to work grants the town has received, because it needs to spend the money and then await reimbursement.

The latter, especially, appears to be moving some Town Board members to seek a low-interest loan to activate some of the grant projects.

From his end, while still presenting a laundry list of assets with planned maintenance schedules, Mr. Card appears to be taking a more gentle approach to seeking funds for smaller projects and prolonged plans to attack large projects a step at a time.

In a cover letter accompanying his budget, Mr. Card said he will have to work with Mr. Cronin and liaisons “to properly plan and strategize how our town-owned assets will be maintained and not just depreciated on paper.”

Citing the need for major repairs to two town-owned buildings — Police Headquarters and Justice Court — Mr. Card is suggesting that repairs be made to one side of each building over a four-year period. The full cost for the work the Justice Court needs is estimated at $81,500 while Mr. Card estimated the work on the Police Headquarters would be $49,500.

Bricking needs to be re-pointed and window lintels are rusting in both buildings, Mr. Card said.

“These are two high-profile buildings in the middle of town that need attention,” Councilman Jim Colligan said. Delaying the work will result in eventual higher costs, Mr. Card added. The councilman suggested money be allocated in the 2017 budget to start the work on each of the two structures.

Road work has been prime on Mr. Card’s list. He has now won agreement from Mr. Dougherty to bring back an expert from Cornell University to reassess the condition of town roadways.

What concerns Mr. Card are the number of roads that are falling into such disrepair that they will have to be totally replaced, not repaved. Roads that typically have a 30-year lifespan are often serving as long as 50 years, Mr. Card said. He knows he can’t get enough money to bring all roadways up to par, but is hoping to begin to hit those that can be saved and put them on a regular maintenance schedule. He would then work backwards, replacing those roads that are beyond repair and need to be replaced.

“We’re climbing in the right direction,” he said of the money that has flowed to his budget for roads, but there’s a need to “stabilize that line in the budget at an appropriate level” to accomplish what needs to be done, he said.

Mr. Card estimated that it would take an annual appropriation of $268,0000 to maintain the roads at a 30-year repaving rate.

Mr. Colligan said there are 172 road segments and 72 are rated fair or poor, meaning they need replacement, not just repaving or repairs.

There’s work to be done installing an improved septic system at Wades Beach and at Crescent Beach, where a line has to be run from the West Neck Water System.

Congdon’s Dock also needs to be replaced.

And unlike the Police Department, which replaces its vehicles on a regular schedule, Highway and Public Works have no account for replacement of major trucks and equipment. Mr. Card wants to establish one to keep the budget from spiking when needs arise.

He outlined plans for the replacement of three vehicles and a switch from a lease to a purchase of a grinding machine.

Given increases he has brought about in revenues from the Public Works operation, it appears the town could save money by purchasing a grinder and generating more money by having the machine on hand to grind as needed instead of having to wait for it to be brought to the site by a leasing company.

Once again, Mr. Card is making a plea for a hike in his own salary and that of his secretary, Debra Speeches. Mr. Card’s total salary this year is $79,591 and under Mr. Dougherty’s proposal, it would go to $81,182.

But highway superintendents and public works commissioners in the other East End towns make substantially more. Riverhead this year pays $90,178; Southold, $104,417; Southampton, $107,100; and East Hampton, $108,383.

As for Ms. Speeches, she coordinates 14 accounts under the two departments and Mr. Card has made the case that the 2 percent raise most town secretaries receive is insufficient for the job she does. Currently, Ms. Speeches makes $32,245. Mr. Card has requested a hike to $35,470 and Mr. Dougherty’s proposed budget lists her salary at $34,503 for 2017.

Spending requests from other departments and committees so far are in general alignment with Mr. Dougherty’s budget.

On Thursday and Friday, the Town Board is scheduled to continue with Police Chief Jim Read introducing his budget. The board anticipates wrapping up its meetings with department chiefs and committee chairs Friday and then discussing open issues before a public hearing on the proposed budget at 1 p.m. Wednesday, November 9. Plans call for adopting the 2017 budget at the regular Town Board meeting on Friday, November 18.