Freshmen Colonie Democrats are still waiting for word of just how bad the town’s fiscal situation is. But that isn’t stopping them from trimming some of the fat.
During the town’s first meeting of 2008, Thursday, Jan. 3, and first meeting under a Democratic majority, the 4-to-3 majority pushed through several appointments seeking to save the town money.
So far, the changes will result in nearly $50,000 in savings in the course of two years through the consolidation and elimination of several town posts and department responsibilities.
But the Democrats say they aren’t done yet. More savings are on the way as Supervisor Paula Mahan and Comptroller Craig Blair continue to chip away at the $8.5 million town deficit, which they fear may end up being higher.
We are going to be trimming the fat. It’s going to be a process for sure. At first glance, the financial outlook is not good. My main concern is that the residents may have been given a false sense of security, said Mahan.
From Mahan’s transitional team, which pored over town records in little more than five weeks before Democrats took over, to an overhauled staff, everyone is on board, she said. The consensus is that it is going to be a process that, in the long view, ultimately gets the town back on track to stability and financial security, she said.
Still, an ominous cloud hangs overhead, as town officials scrutinize records from the past several years to find how the town has found itself so deeply in debt and how it can begin to whittle away at the last administration’s $83 million budget to free up funds.
`First, administration supervisors are kind of stuck with that first budget,` said Robert Tengeler, who served as chairman of Mahan’s extensive transition team. `The issue is, we basically had five weeks to do an overview of an $80 million budget. So obviously this was a first blush.`
The $49,694 saved came by way of simple restructuring.
Democrats eliminated counsel to the town’s conservation advisory council and sign review board, two-year expenses of $14,098 and $15,586 respectively, and brought those jobs back under the control of the town attorney’s office. Mahan opted to also reduce that staff by one, leaving three attorneys including Town Attorney Michael Magguilli.
Magguilli’s appointment drew the ire of Republicans who criticized his pay. Magguilli will be paid $105,530, more than $20,000 above what most new department heads receive when they first come on board.
Democrats defended the appointment, arguing that Magguilli’s office will take on tasks previously not covered by the attorney’s office under the old administration.
Other savings came from eliminating the positions of public information officer and assistant to the supervisor, a combined cost of $95,510, and joining the two at a salary of $72,500 in addition to benefits. Peter Gannon was appointed to that seat.
It will save the town $40,020 over two years.
The in-house shifting is only part of a larger checklist Democrats plan to keep plugging away at, said Mahan.
`We will have a strategic plan to work from. It’s a long-term process of eliminating waste,` Mahan said.
There is light at the end of the tunnel, added Mahan. But until the heads of the town’s 39 departments, Mahan and the comptroller have completed their assessment, it’s uncertain just when that light will be seen.
Regardless, no one `is coming in and saying everything is broken,` said Tengeler. It’s just that a few things need fixing.
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