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General News: Budget Approved Amid Dissension on Board
November 16, 2011
By Nancy Peckenham
By a split 3-2 vote, the Cornwall Town Board approved a 2012 budget on Monday evening despite criticism by two members that the figures in the budget were not solid enough. Tension increased later in the meeting, when the representative of the Cornwall police union asked to discuss a new proposal to save money for the town and three board members, including supervisor Kevin Quigley, rebuffed his effort.
The $10.69 million town budget keeps the tax increase within the two-percent cap imposed by the state of New York, an important goal of the town board, but taxes will still go up about eight percent due to changes in assessments. Before the vote, councilmen Randy Clark and Al Mazzocca questioned parts of the budget, including an assumption that three employees would accept early retirement incentives to leave the payroll. Councilman Clark also noted that the budget doesn’t include an $80,000 bond that the board authorized in September to repair Bridge Street.
“I don’t see this budget as in the best interest of the taxpayer,” Clark told his fellow board members. “ I don’t think we did our job on the budget.”
Councilwoman Mary Beth Greene Krafft argued that the town has always shifted funds or deferred payments around as needed during the course of a year. She also described increased revenue that can be expected when the building moratorium ends and when the town increases in permit fees.
Councilwoman Greene Krafft joined Councilman Kerry McGuinness and Supervisor Quigley to approve the budget.
Police Offer New Proposal to a Split Board
Later in the meeting, Sergeant Douglas Schofield, the PBA representative, asked council members if they were willing to discuss the union’s proposal to save money for the town and reduce the threat of a lay-off of two officers. Discussion of officers retiring instead of being laid off has occurred behind closed doors, but no deal has been sealed.
Monday afternoon, Schofield dropped off his proposal that included having two officers accept a retirement incentive and other steps to avoid $45,000 in legal fees that the town has budgeted for its negotiations with the police union.
“We had been accused of not being willing to negotiate,” Schofield later explained, adding that he had intended for the union proposal to be considered before the vote to adopt the budget.
Supervisor Quigley, who has been the chief negotiator in private negotiations with the union, said that he had to review the proposal before he met with Schofield. Councilman Clark argued that it was a good opportunity to hear what the union has to say, without getting into a discussion of the proposal. Councilman Al Mazzocca said he agreed.
When the board vote 3-2 to go into executive session to listen to Schofield, the councilmembers left the room but, according to those present, never held a meeting. Councilmen Clark and Mazzocca later met with Schofield while the supervisor left the building without ever closing the business meeting.
“They wanted to go into executive session -- this would clearly be negotiating a contract,” Supervisor Quigley said the following day to explain his refusal to hear the proposal. “We received a packet with a proposal for a settlement of a new contract close to 3 o’clock and we hadn’t event read them.”
Councilman Clark renewed his criticism the next day, saying that the Supervisor had been obligated to be part of the executive session. “Kevin (Quigley) said that the PBA would not negotiate with the town and would not give up their three percent increase. Here was an olive branch saying they do want to work with the town and reach a settlement,” Clark said. "We should have at least listened."
Asked about the councilmembers' criticism, Supervisor Quigley said they were grandstanding, pointing out that the bottom line is that they carved $600,000 out of the budget and kept it at the two-percent tax cap.
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