Blasdell Village Board explores reduction in pay for clerk-treasurer

Chopping down from a starting point of nearly an 8-percent tax rate increase is on the docket for Blasdell officials, who are proposing several cost saving alternatives, as some trustees advocate a salary cut to a prominent position, also suggesting other possibilities in the form of wage freezes for all village employees and an adoption of a use-as-needed basis for grant writing and engineering.

Budget brainstorming was part of last Wednesday’s (Feb. 1) work session at Blasdell Village Hall, where a regular meeting also took place.

The village board did not pass a proposal to adopt Local Law No. 1 of 2012 during the latter portion of the meeting, which is said to be a protective legislation authorizing a property tax levy in excess of the 2 percent limit established in General Municipal Law 3-C.

It had been stated by Village Clerk Treasurer Administrator Janet Plarr during the village board’s Jan. 18 meeting that Local Law No. 1 would be brought before the board as an action item for the Feb. 1 meeting.

However, trustees Rob Hefner, Matt Chandler and Lou McDonald balked at the local law proposal read by Blasdell Mayor Michael Petrie, as the trio did not actively state a motion on the item. McDonald, who also serves as deputy mayor, stated that he could not make or second a motion on the law because he was “against it.”

Chandler said he is “strongly against” the proposed local law and that he would vote against such legislation, a sentiment echoed by Hefner.

Petrie, who stated that he was in favor of the legislation and stated that he would have voted in favor of the item, reiterated that if the law is passed it will serve as a protective device in what he describes as an uncertain budget process. The mayor said the board must submit its budget to the Office of the State Comptroller, who will return financial findings to Blasdell and deem them completed in a sufficient manner or not. Also returned to the village will be the state’s method of formulating a tax cap figure, which Petrie estimates could be a non-exceeded tax rate hike of 2.54 percent, although that exact number is not yet set in stone.

Petrie had stated during the work session that the board is starting its line-by-line budget cut evaluation from a summit of a 7.75-percent tax rate increase standpoint, an amount that includes all expenditures in their full amount per department. Plarr estimated that eliminating $12,000 in the expenditure budget equates to a decrease of 1 percent in tax rate. It was further stated that if not for significant decreases in Blasdell’s assessed property values totaling $568,415 in losses, from $68,025,595 last year to $67,457,180 currently, the upcoming budget expenditures would amount to just a 1-percent tax rate increase for village residents. The drop in the village’s property values continues a trend that has existed in the local area for several years.

During the roundtable work session, Hefner first brought up the proposal of looking into seeking a 10-percent pay reduction from the annual salary of Plarr, who has served in her capacity for more than a decade. The combined annual base salary of the clerk treasurer administrator pays $53,498, with a proposed raise for 2012 to $55,640 being nixed as part of the agreed-upon wage freeze.

It was stated that cutting 10 percent from the salary, a move that Hefner added could feasibly come with the possible elimination of the administrator portion of the aforementioned title, would save about $5,300 from the upcoming budget line.

“Budget line-wise, it wouldn’t hurt to look (into seeking a salary reduction) now,” added Hefner, who also mentioned the idea of having engineers and grant writers on hand from a per-case basis. “All of our departments are self sustaining. We need to look into this (10-percent reduction) for salary restructuring.”

Chandler spoke in support of such exploration, stating, “There are so many areas of the budget where our hands are tied, I think we owe it to the taxpayers of this village to consider cuts in every other budget line. These are tough things to talk about, but rising expenses that are out of our control necessitate putting everything on the table.”

Petrie questioned the feasibility of such action taking effect by the time the village board submits its budget to the state comptroller and subsequently passes the budget. The mayor stated that such exploration for the aforementioned salary “reduction/administrator” elimination proposal could be re-examined more in depth prior to next year’s budget process, although Hefner and Chandler particularly exuded hope for such action being considered immediately. Plarr said she could provide comparative and analytical data of the position’s parameters.

Blasdell’s current services under grant writing and engineering are contracted to individuals.

It was stated during the roundtable budget discussion that cost savings could likely be made by decreasing the annual funds apportioned to engineering from $15,000 annually to $12,000; as well as adhering to not installing raises for board members, the mayor, police, and other village personnel.

Petrie said data is the best way to substantiate any suggestions of a hypothetical cost saving, stating, The village board is scheduled to meet for an additional budget workshop at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11 at the village hall.

“People need to understand, this isn’t about how much an employee does, or how much they are worth,” Chandler said. “This is simply about what the village can afford to pay out in expenditures.”