Police Chief and Highway Superintendent make budget cases

Although the Town Board had hoped to complete its budget review this week, another work session is scheduled  for Monday morning between 9 a.m. and noon.

Much of that session is likely to be devoted to searching through the draft for items that could be cut, paid for in other ways than general taxes, or delayed.

Some expenses that previously came from the general fund have already been transferred to the Waterways Management Advisory Council, which gets its money from applicants for permits and projects or covered with fees to users for certain services.

Other expenses have been moved to the capital spending plan. The Town has been successful in attracting a number of grants that offset some of those costs to complete projects.

Deputy Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams has been cautious to ensure money is set aside to cover matching amounts that many grants require.

The Board met with Police Chief Jim Read Monday and Highway Superintendent/Public Works Commissioner Brian Sherman Tuesday to discuss the two traditionally largest allocations in each year’s budget.

Police budget

Chief Read reminded the Town Board he has consistently been careful to structure his spending request and adept at moving funds around as needed to avoid having to come back for more money.

Beyond the typical responsibilities Police Departments handle, the chief oversees Emergency Management Services, Animal Control responsibilities and Bay Constables.

The chief made a case for increasing some salaries:

• Butch Labrozzi and Beau Payne spend 22 weeks a year as bay constables and their work on that assignment alone needs added compensation. Officer Labrozzi devotes the rest of the year working for the Highway Department and Officer Payne coordinates Animal Control services, including providing information to the Deer & Tick Committee.

• A 10% increase in salaries to the Police Department’s two clerks, who work more hours than many other clerks in Town government. Most are slated for 4% increases.

Agreeing clerks are underpaid on the Island and hit with higher costs of living, Mr. Siller said he is trying to improve salaries. But he said it needs to be done in steps, not leaps.

Chief Read outlined the value of purchasing a drone as the Southold Police Department has done, noting it would be used in investigations, accident coverage, handling of special events and could be put to use by others such as the Building Department to look at projects in progress.

He told the Board previous investments on plate readers and cameras at both North and South ferries have been an aid to Police Department investigations.

To coordinate communications with both Suffolk County and Southold that provide dispatching services to the Island, and to improve backup needs to handle emergencies in cooperation with other municipalities, the Police Department is upgrading its radio system.

Cost will be spread over a few years, Chief Read said.

He wants to increase his maintenance budget to handle repairs to vehicles because a new vehicle has been on order since the beginning of the year, but it still can’t be determined when it might be delivered. Several department vehicles have high mileage and need to be kept operating.

Contracts for Police and Highway departments are currently being negotiated.

Highway/Public Works

Mr. Sherman is still filling in information on some lines in his budget. He told the Board Tuesday morning he has to project increases in fuel costs despite a current drop in the price of gasoline.

During the pandemic, with more full-time residents on the Island, there were fees the Highway/Public Works operation was able to gain from the sale of certain materials.

Since pandemic levels have declined, there are less of some of those materials, he said. He agreed with Mr. Siller’s approach to conservatively project revenues, while hoping more money will be received from State aid and grants.

There is a drop anticipated in New York State CHIPs funding (Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement money). But new programs such as Pave New York and Pave Our Potholes are expected to help close that gap.

EMS

A meeting with Detective Sergeant Jack Thilberg, who directs the Emergency Medical Services, met with great support from the Town Board Tuesday.

Most of its personnel are volunteers, so Board members admitted it’s difficult to turn down any request for money to encourage volunteers to render the services they provide.

Requests to discuss salaries were discussed in executive session at the Sgt. Thilberg’s request. He and clerk Coco Thurman are paid.

Sgt. Thilberg had requested an increase in his $37,379 salary to $41,117, plus a longevity boost — a raise given to recognize and reward an employee’s time on the job — of $2,055. Mr. Siller had proposed $38,875 with no longevity boost.

Ms. Thurman was listed to receive $1,300 for her responsibilities to EMS. She receives other money as clerk of other committees.

In general, the Town Board agreed to restore money Sgt. Thilberg had requested. This includes $13,000 for medical equipment; $11,000 for travel that will cover six volunteers attending a convention in Albany at the end of October to re-certify them for the next year; and $10,000 to pay for food, including the Oct. 5 EMS Awards Dinner.

The EMS Department currently has 36 volunteers, a number the director called “strong,” with a number of younger members. “We’re not hurting for people,” he said.

He also has one EMT who has entered a program to train as a paramedic with tuition paid from the EMS budget. The training is to last about a year.

There is currently no requirement for someone to continue to serve the Town as a volunteer after training. But Sgt. Thilberg said he’s talking with Town Attorney Stephen Kiely about codifying a requirement that anyone receiving tuition agree to serve the local EMS squad for at least two years.

Sgt. Thilberg said he anticipates the Stony Brook Foundation that shared the cost of paramedics for 12 hours a day, seven days a week this year, will extend that agreement.

Nonetheless, the budget calls for spending $241,000 to extend the coverage from 12 to 24 hours a day.

Information technology/Media

Kevin Lechmanski, the Town’s information technology specialist, said his budget basically reflects the cost of equipment. “There’s not a lot of wiggle room,” he said.

Most important, he said, is tightening the town’s security of its systems at a cost of $18,000.

He acknowledged no security is 100% foolproof, but after the recent hacking to Suffolk County systems, which is still not completely rectified, he said failure to take the steps he recommends would leave the town vulnerable to being asked why they didn’t take such actions.