FINANCE DIRECTOR RETIRES; BOARD TO FILL COMPTROLLER POST:

The Town of Hamburg hasn't had a finance director since Saturday.

In fact, it may never have one again.

With Jim Spute's retirement after 33 years with the town, the Town Board has reclassified his position - and taken control of the appointment process.

As director of finance, Spute was an appointee of the town supervisor. But with the board creating a comptroller position in place of Spute's old job, the appointment will be made by board vote.

"We saw the strategy being proposed by a number of other larger towns like us," said Councilwoman Joan Kesner, "and it was an opportunity for us to streamline and make some up-to-date improvements in that office."

Kesner said the town will be updating its computers and combining the positions of chief financial officer and director of finance into one.
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The switch essentially would leave the comptroller working for the Town Board instead of working for the supervisor.

The comptroller will be picked by a search committee. Each member of the Town Board, including the supervisor, will be naming one member of the committee.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WHITESTOWN DISCUSSES COMPTROLLER DUTIES:

Members of the Town Board are starting to formulate a job description for a new comptroller, whom Whitestown and New Hartford would share, Councilman Brian Brooks said.

Oneida County Comptroller Joseph Timpano made suggestions to the board Wednesday night as to what the job might look like, Councilman Dan Sullivan said. The new comptroller would assist the towns with their annual budgets and bond issues, among other items.

Currently, Whitestown personnel director Nancy Hartman also serves as the town's finance director. The new comptroller would take over most of Hartman's financial duties, Sullivan said, although she would still function as an accounts manager, preparing documents for the comptroller.

It could take a couple of months for the towns to pin down the specifics of the job and iron out their intermunicipal agreement, Brooks said, adding that department heads and other board members are encouraged to submit opinions and ideas about what the job should entail.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TOWN OF BIG FLATS, RESIDENTS SOLVE EROSION PROBLEMS:

It isn't often that government can address a resident's complaint not only quickly, but to everyone's satisfaction.

The town of Big Flats managed to pull off that feat recently, however.

Some residents along Antler Road approached the Town Board back in June about serious erosion problems along Owen Hollow Creek, a small, gravely stream that meanders through their residential neighborhood.

When heavy rains came and the creek rose, the raging waters ate away at the bank at an alarming rate, said Don Kloeber of Antler Road, one of the people who turned to the town for help.

Kloeber had lost about 6 feet of his property and some people had seen as much as 10 feet of their land gobbled up by the rain-swollen creek.

Town officials were sympathetic and looked at reviving a program Chemung County operated several years ago.

Under that program, the county paid 50 percent of the cost of stream bank stabilization and the affected property owners paid the rest.

After reviewing the issue, town officials decided it was their duty to act.

"We reintroduced the 50-50 program which the county used to have, and we put some money aside in the budget last year," Town Supervisor Mary Ann Balland said. "And people who have drainage issues can apply. We contracted out the work. We were delighted to be able to do it. It worked out for everybody. I'm pleased for them. We hope to do another one next year if someone makes an application."

The town hired a contractor to lay riprap along one side of the creek, and also to dredge some of the gravel from the stream bed and pile it on the other side, which is on town property.

The total project cost was about $40,000 said Big Flats Public Works Commissioner Larry Wagner. Under the program, the town paid half that tab, and Kloeber and five neighbors split the remaining cost.

Posted by Joel Seachrist at 08:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)