Town of Berne

BERNE, COUNTY MERGING ROADWORK:

in what might be the first merger of its kind in the state, the town of Berne's Highway Department would be folded into the Albany County Department of Public Works under a new proposal billed as a way to save money.

The seven town highway workers would become county employees, so none of those jobs will be lost.

Officials said the merger would eliminate the elected town highway superintendent's post, now held by Raymond Storm.

But it's expected Storm would become a supervisor in the combined office, said County Executive Michael Breslin.

"It's going to save a lot of money, and we're going to do things more efficiently," Breslin said of the proposed change.

County Public Works Commissioner Michael Franchini said his office had looked into it, and they could find no other example in the state of a town highway department merging with a county public works unit.

"At this point, unless we can find one, it's the first one in the state," he said. Officials estimated the merger would save Berne $162,670 each year, which amounts to 10 percent of the town budget.

The town wouldn't have to build new salt- and fuel-storage facilities because the county has them. The county wouldn't have to build a new field office because the town has one.

Both the county and the town have highway offices three miles apart in Berne, a town of 2,845 people.

Town plow trucks must drive over miles of county roads to reach the town streets they are responsible for cleaning. The merger would eliminate that inefficiency.

The proposed change will likely be part of the 2007 county budget proposed in October.

It will require approval by the Berne Town Board and the County Legislature.