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Town Board nearing total 2018 budget and tax figures

 

REPORTER FILE PHOTO Shelter Island Town Hall
REPORTER FILE PHOTO
Shelter Island Town Hall

Supervisor Jim Dougherty Tuesday provided one of the largest outstanding costs to the 2018 budget — employee benefits that will total $3.1 million, $168,317 more than in the current budget.

There’s still no total figure in place for the 2018 budget with meetings ongoing at Town Hall.

When a budget is agreed on, the Town Board will be able to focus on the overall tax levy increase, which is likely to again go above the state-imposed tax cap,

Most non-union town workers will see a 2 to 3 percent salary bump in 2018. But there’s a debate about several requests from various departments for more substantial raises for some department chiefs based on arguments for longer hours and more responsibilities than anticipated.

“Everybody deserves more,” Councilman Paul Shepherd said. But he cautioned his colleagues at Tuesday morning’s budget meeting to consider what merits more than a 3 percent raise, adding that the town simply can’t afford all that’s being asked.

Higher raises have to be justified, Councilman Jim Colligan agreed, pointing to two criteria — added hours and new responsibilities — that could help in making decisions.

Requesting raises
At the top of that list is Jay Card Jr., who wears two hats — highway superintendent and public works commissioner. Mr. Card asked for more money, noting that other highway superintendents on the East End don’t generally function in both capacities but still make much more money than he does. Mr. Card is earning $81,181 and if he gets the money he’s requesting, he would earn $97.835.

Mr. Dougherty told the board Tuesday it would be an “anomaly” for the highway superintendent to earn more than he does. Mr. Dougherty’s current salary is $84,068, and if he’s re-elected next month, he or his successor would be earning $$85,749 for a 2 percent raise.

Mr. Card’s confidential secretary, Debra Speeches, is likely to see a 3 percent raise. Mr. Card showed the board 2016 earnings for confidential secretaries in other East End towns that revealed salaries between $58,523 and $78,523, and Ms. Speeches was earning $42,994.

Supervisor Jim Dougherty has made the same argument for his confidential secretary, Judy Meringer.

Among other requests was a salary hike for EMS Director Jack Thilberg. In 2016, he lobbied to raise his $24,345 part-time pay to $30,000 and he granted the raise for 2017. He was back this year asking for $35,000.

Mr. Thilberg, who is a detective sergeant with the Shelter Island Police Department, estimated he spends between 25 and 30 hours a week with EMS responsibilities, including paperwork, organization and answering calls.

“It’s in my blood,” he said. “I’ve been a volunteer all my life.”

Animal Control Officer Beau Payne added to what were his part-time responsibilities when he became a full-time town employee taking on much of the deer and tick control problems in 2016 at a salary of $56,100. Police Chief Jim Read, to whom Mr. Payne reports, made a pitch to raise his salary to $61,100 for next year, but Mr. Dougherty knocked that down to $57,250 for a 2 percent hike. The Town Board re-examined that figure and kicked it up to a 3 percent raise at $57,783.

It appears likely Mr. Dougherty will win the day with his colleagues.

Laurie Fanelli, who handles Senior Center and Silver Circle is working far more than the 25 hours a week she was hired for, she said, and is asking that the job be moved to 40-hours per week, changing her salary from $33,451 to $54,196. Mr. Dougherty included the money in his budget.

Line by line
The Town Board has started the process of reviewing the draft budget page by page to revisit various open issues — some large and some small — to make cuts where possible.

Mr. Dougherty noted Eastern Long Island Hospital CEO Paul Connor is due on the Island Thursday to further discuss sharing the services of that organization’s geriatric social worker, Juliette Frodella. Talks were continuing with Southold engineer Michael Collins about a shared services agreement between that town and the Island for engineering services in view of the resignation of John Cronin.

A subject that elicited differences of opinion this week was an increase requested by the Deer & Tick Committee to raise the allocation for deer reduction management. The town slotted $11,900 in the current year’s budget, but opted to ask for $20,000 to finance deer culling efforts in 2018, including a pilot program to allow hunters with special permits to hunt during February and March outside the regular season.

Questions remain about the organization of that hunt.

Nonetheless, Councilman Shepherd expressed doubts that the added money would result in a large number of deer being killed. “We’re snatching defeat from the jaws of victory,” he told his colleagues.

Councilman Colligan argued the effort was worth trying in 2018 to be either expanded if it shows promise or abandoned if it fails.

The budget number for culling was undecided as of the beginning of the week.

The IT Department is seeking money to purchase as many as 10 new computers. Whether Chief Read, who oversees the IT effort, will get all 10 in 2018 hasn’t yet been determined.

“You pay for foolish cuts,” Councilwoman Chris Lewis warned her colleagues.

Mr. Shepherd countered with, “You can’t say yes to everything.”

Whether the police department, on a regular schedule of replacing its vehicles, will get a new vehicle in 2018 or skip a year is still undecided. Chief Read would also like to add two part-time officers to his staff.

On the positive side, members of the Green Options Advisory Committee, whose budget is $500, arrived with a plan to save money by replacing traditional light bulbs in town-owned buildings with hybrid energy-saving tubes. In police headquarters alone, committee member Don D’Amato estimated the savings in a year could be $1,800.

The Town Board voted immediately to implement the changes.

Budget talks were scheduled to continue with the aim of settling on a spending plan by late next week to present to the public in November.